NM Asks Obama For Disaster Declaration
Friday, October 25, 2013
BELEN, N.M. – President Barack Obama is being asked to allocate more federal resources to help rebuild areas of New Mexico devastated by last month's horrendous floods.
The state's congressional delegation is asking Obama to issue a Major Disaster Declaration for New Mexico and the Santa Clara Pueblo.
The lawmakers say the flooding and storms caused major damage to homes, water systems, roads, bridges and other public infrastructure across much of the state and on tribal lands.
Martha Saiz lives in Belen, about 35 miles south of Albuquerque, and experienced the flooding.
She says September 2013 won't be forgotten any time soon.
"People had water five and six feet high running into their homes,” she recalls. “You know a lot of homes even washed away, or water damage, stuff like that, it was really, really bad."
The flooding was caused by heavy rains that fell between September 9 and September 22.
Saiz is hopeful that Obama will approve additional federal government assistance to possibly help people who have no home insurance and no money to repair the damage.
"It's a little sad because there are some people that'll deal with it the best they can, where they can't really hire a water restorer or anything like that,” she says. “So they just kind of dry things out and just deal with mold in their walls."
There are estimates that repairing the flood damage could cost up to $100 million.
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