The Department of Labor has allocated $800,000 to assist in the recovery of New Mexico wildfire damage.
The government’s employment arm announced the funds, which are allocated from the emergency dislocated worker grant.
The monies allocated will help the support work being undertaken to clean up and repair the damage caused by the Wildfires that ravaged the area.
Department of Labor set aside $800, 000 for wildfire recovery
The New Mexico area of Otero County was badly affected by the natural disaster, this was named the South Fork and Salt forest fires.
According to the Labor Department, the fires “devastated more than 25,000 acres of mountain forest land, and about 1,400 structures and 500 homes in Lincoln and Otero counties and on the Mescalero Tribe Reservation.”
So the funds will go a great way to help the communities affected by this unpredictable event and to assist with the rebuilding process.
On June 20, 2024 (Federal Emergency Management Agency) FEMA announced a major disaster declaration. This enabled the state to qualify for federal support to help repair the damage done by the wildfires to the surrounding area, businesses, and homes.
At the time of the wildfires highest threat to individuals, local hospitals and over 8,000 individuals were evacuated from the path of the raging fires.
The state’s Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham also announced a state of emergency, saying “This morning, I declared a State of Emergency in Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation, authorizing additional funding and resources to manage this crisis.”
The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions can recruit for positions that help with the cleanup and recovery with a set fund to pay the wages and cover the costs of adding temporary labor.
Training can also be provided as part of the Department of Labor grant and assistance program. It can only be hoped that the funds go some way to repairing the damage done by this destructive force of nature.
Image: Pixlr.
