Attention, Residents of New Mexico who have been affected by the South Fork and Salt Fires and/or flooding. Don't wait to apply for federal disaster assistance from FEMA - the deadline to apply is tomorrow, Saturday!
Homeowners and renters impacted by the fires and/or flood, from June 17 to Aug. 20, 2024, who live in Lincoln, Otero, Rio Arriba, San Juan Counties, or on the Mescalero Apache Reservation have only until Saturday, Oct. 19 to apply. The deadline to apply for a long-term, low-interest disaster loan for physical damage from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is also Oct. 19.
FEMA grants do not have to be repaid. FEMA assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP or other federal and state benefits.
How to Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance
The first step for individuals and households to receive assistance is to apply to FEMA for federal assistance. There are no costs involved to apply for, or receive, FEMA assistance. There are four ways to apply:
- Go online to disasterassistance.gov/
- Download the FEMA App for mobile devices at fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-products
- Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Help is available in most languages.
- Visit the state of New Mexico/FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Horton Complex, 237 Service Road in Ruidoso. closes permanently at 4 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 19.
For an American Sign Language (ASL) video on how to apply for assistance, visit youtube.com/watch= WZGpWI2RCNw.
For more information about FEMA’s Individual Assistance program, visit www.fema.gov/assistance/individual.