Roughly one year ago, two devastating wildfires swept through Ruidoso, burning nearly 25,000 acres, killing two people, and displacing hundreds of residents. And now, the village is continuing to deal with the consequences of 2024’s natural disaster.
The monsoon season combined with the burn scars in the surrounding area have created conditions that have led to deadly flash flooding, and with more rain in the forecast, residents and business owners are bracing for what comes next.
“You kind of are [in] shock, you don’t exactly know how to think or feel right away.”
Tyler Wentzel is the general manager at Ruidoso’s Riverside RV Park, and witnessed Rio Ruidoso’s record swell to over 20 feet on July 8, destroying hundreds of homes in its wake, and killing a man and two children.
“A lot of the town’s okay, but all the river bottom properties are pretty much toast right now,” he said. “I think the encouragement to keep coming here was a bit overstated, kind of a mistake. And as far as the other efforts that have been done by the federal government with the HESCO barriers and stuff. I think everyone was a little skeptical about whether or not they’d work. A lot of these HESCO barriers have completely collapsed in on themselves and didn’t do their job at all.”
The HESCO barriers were installed in response to flooding last summer.
Wentzel said that even as he and his wife prepare for more flooding events, it’s unclear how much help the town will be receiving from the state and federal government.
“I realized a lot of these properties are going to be condemned probably now, or non-buildable. I’d be curious to see what if there’s going to be a buyout offer on some of the properties at the river bottom,” he said. “What kind of resources are going to be available from state and federal [government] in the very near future?”
Even as the federal government has approved some aid for immediate assistance, the village is still waiting on the bulk of the funding via a major disaster declaration. That declaration would open more federal funding for rebuilding efforts, as well as assistance for displaced residents.
As residents’ frustration continues to grow regarding the uncertainty, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said the village is doing the best it can with the given resources. But the back-to-back disasters are overwhelming.
“The village is the same village that we were before, the same 200-plus employees, the same ones that have shortages in the departments for the street, the paving, the water, all those things. And we’re still doing those. We don’t have an army set aside or a tremendous amount of funding set aside for all this stuff,” Crawford said.
Crawford said that he’s been in contact with federal partners, and is hoping for the approved funding soon, despite the amount of red tape that village officials are having to deal with.
“It’s a very difficult process, and we have got professionals, people that it’s their job to dig through that, get through that, cut through that, and they’re working on it,” Crawford said. “We’ve reached out to the Trump administration and to Secretary Kristi Noem. All those people, they are very much aware of what’s going on, we expect them to have boots on the ground, don’t know when they will be here themselves. Those other disaster declarations, we’re expecting those to come through any day.”
Beyond federal funding, Ruidoso is expected to take a major economic hit, due to damage sustained throughout the village and to the Ruidoso Downs Race Track. Residents are split on whether to encourage tourism to the area, and Mayor Crawford called it a balancing act.
“Our industry is tourism. That’s where our money comes from. That’s how the village makes its money. But our charge as the mayor and council is safety, health and welfare. So safety first.” he said. “Our message is now come to town, but have your eyes on the skies. When you see that alert, hear that alert on your phone, pay attention to it. Be aware of your surroundings, know where the high points are. We want you here, but you need to be aware to take care of yourself.”
Even as residents await government resources, many have begun cleanup efforts and are assessing what to do next. Mark Rushing and his son own multiple properties in town, and said the amount of uncertainty facing the community has grown since last year’s fires.
“We rebuilt our place, the one house that we were going to be moving into, and now it’s destroyed. So the idea of building in its place, I don’t even know if that’s going to be allowed,” he said. “Everybody’s got a big fat mortgage. Everybody’s got a business. Well, now our businesses are gone. So it’s not just destruction of property, it’s destruction of our income.”
Rushing said that he has reached out to federal officials and signed paperwork regarding assistance programs, but has yet to hear back from any officials.
“Nobody’s reached out to us. We went to the village hall this morning and talked to them. Friday, their office was dark. We tried to talk to our insurance office, it was dark. Everybody’s kind of laying low.” he said. “A lot of people [are] laying low, a lot of people trying to avoid the questions, I think, I don’t know. Nobody knows what to do at this point.”
As uncertainty remains regarding the future of Ruidoso, one thing remains certain – village residents and visitors will have to remain vigilant as New Mexico’s monsoon rains continue to pose a threat to the region.
Jonny Coker, formerly a multimedia journalist at KRWG Public Media, reports for the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative.
