As monsoon season approaches, emergency managers are encouraging Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire victims to apply for flood insurance

SANTA FE — Facing years of increased flood risk following last year’s wildfire, residents of Mora and San Miguel counties can now apply for extra insurance coverage through the federal government.

Federal emergency managers said Thursday they will cover the cost of flood insurance premiums for five years — if fire victims sign up through the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office.

They also revealed the office had paid out $3 million in claims so far to fire victims — the overwhelming bulk of which, $2.6 million, went to the city of Las Vegas for damage to its water system.

In an interview, Las Vegas resident Edward M. Dominguez said he’ll be happy to have flood insurance on his home in the small northern New Mexico city.

But he said he doesn’t expect it to do much good for his other property — in the mountains southwest of Las Vegas, where a chapel built by his family burned down in the fire.

Flood insurance is primarily designed to protect homes and structures, not cover damage to the land itself.

“They want to give me flood insurance here,” Dominguez said from his home in Las Vegas. “I don’t need flood insurance on this house. I need my chapel replaced.”

He said he is still waiting for his claim to be paid.

The offers of flood insurance — and anger at the federal government — come as New Mexico approaches its second monsoon season following the devastation wrought by the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire last year.

The blaze began after two prescribed burns started by the U.S. Forest Service grew out of control. They merged into the largest fire in New Mexico’s recorded history, burning 534 square miles of wilderness and private land.

The fire destroyed 900 structures, including hundreds of homes, and forced tens of thousands of people to flee.

Flooding later killed at least two people in San Miguel County.

And threats of more devastation remain.

Barren, charred landscapes are particularly vulnerable to flooding and can propel stormwater — which might otherwise have been slowed by vegetation — rushing downhill.

David Maurstad, assistant administrator of the Federal Insurance Directorate and senior executive of the National Flood Insurance Program, implored Mora and San Miguel County residents to sign up for the insurance coverage.

“I sincerely, sincerely hope all eligible claimants will take advantage of this opportunity,” he said in a news conference in Santa Fe. “We don’t want anyone who has to go through the heartbreak of wildfire to be unprepared for the flood that may follow.”

An inch of rainfall, he said, can cause $25,000 in damage to a home. Flash floods can develop in just minutes.

Under the program, residents affected by the fire — those in San Miguel and Mora counties are expected to qualify — can sign up for flood insurance and have their premiums paid for a five-year period.

Flood insurance doesn’t normally kick in for about 30 days, but it would provide protection going forward after that.

Flood victims would still have to pay the deductible, which will vary, but the federal government will cover the premiums.

Residents who endure flooding damage before the policy kicks in — or who have already been harmed — can also submit a claim for any losses that occur before fall 2024.

For Dominguez, the resident of Las Vegas, he said he wants increased staffing to help the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office process documents and make payments more quickly.

He said he has no problem with the claims navigator he works with, but the documentation required is cumbersome.

“It just seems every time — it’s more paperwork and more red tape,” Dominguez said. “The people of northern New Mexico are tired of this.”

Angela Gladwell, director of the claims office, said Thursday the agency has paid out $3 million in claims so far, with several million more in the final stages of payment.

The $3 million figure, she said, included about $2.6 million that went to the city of Las Vegas, an amount first reported by Source New Mexico, a nonprofit news organization.

The claims office has also put 37 flood insurance policies in place so far, Gladwell said.

She encouraged residents to quickly apply for the flood-insurance program, even if they don’t think they’ll need it.

“Even areas that are not traditionally flood prone are at risk due to changes to the landscape caused by fire,” Gladwell said. “It’s really important that residents are protecting their homes and their personal property with flood insurance, starting now before a weather event occurs and damages occur.”

New Mexico’s monsoon season usually starts in early July, but the National Weather Service said a later onset is expected this year.