A state run, federally funded recovery center opened Wednesday in Las Vegas to help Mora and San Miguel county residents rebuild following the Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon wildfires and floods.
The Building Resiliency Center, funded through a $4.3 million congressional grant administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is run by the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The opening comes after months of controversy resulted in the dismissal of Federal Emergency Management Agency claims Director Jay Mitchell in February. Mitchell was tasked with distributing FEMA relief payments for New Mexicans affected by the Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon Fire. News reports of six-figure payment offers for damage to his Angel Fire home prompted Mitchell's dismissal. Nancy Casper is now the director of the FEMA claims office.
The new state-run center will help people navigate the FEMA claims process as well provide disaster case management and support for reconstruction permits.
