FEMA opens claims offices to help compensate northern NM fire victims

An office for people seeking compensation for damage caused by the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire is now open. 

It took about seven months to get the office running, a response by the federal government that is at fault for New Mexico’s largest wildfire and, by law, intends to send billions of dollars in financial aid to northern New Mexicans.

The offices are meant to help fire victims understand the federal claims process to get aid that was appropriated by Congress in 2022. The federal government accepted responsibility for starting the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire and is paying for the damage it caused.

It took over half a year for FEMA to set up the claims offices. The offices were supposed to open around late March or early April 2023, according to FEMA.

A congressional act in September 2022 authorized the creation of the offices, and the federal agency started hiring efforts in December 2022.

Before the offices were set up, FEMA launched a hotline in March 2023 intended to get help to victims. The federal agency published the wrong number before fixing it a few hours later.

Local community members are working at the claims offices to meet unique community needs, according to FEMA. The agency has had issues helping the largely Hispanic, rural communities come back home after the fire.