RUIDOSO, N.M. — Many of our neighbors in southern New Mexico are worried, in fear about their homes, their businesses, even their family members.

There is help out there.

Edgar Olivo, the CEO of the Arizona-New Mexico Red Cross says they’re still getting dozens of calls a day to their reunification hotline. Their efforts are working too. As of Thursday night, they reunited five families in 48 hours.

Some have ventured down different avenues.

“I told one of my brothers that they were evacuating. Then that’s the last anyone had heard from them,” Johnathan Dean said.

Dean lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., far from his parents in Alto. He’d been trying to get in touch with them for nearly 72 hours – with no luck. Downed power lines and cell phone towers got in the way.

“Well, first it started, ‘Oh they’re probably safe, they’re probably just in Capitan, where the closest shelter was, they probably just don’t have service,'” Dean said.

As phone carriers brought in mobile units to boost service, his worry continued to grow.

“The thoughts got worse as time went on, like, man it’s been too long and they’re both elderly or older so it got scarier by the day for sure,” Dean said.

Come Thursday morning, he asked the community for help. He posted a photo of his parents on the Reunite Ruidoso Facebook page. Loved ones are finding one another after the wildfires separated them.

There are hundreds of posts, asking if anyone has seen a missing family member or friend. Many posts have happy updates. Many families located and safe.

“In many cases, if you can’t send a text message or even make a phone call, that time that goes by makes the situation much harder for families,” Olivo said.

Olivo and his team are housing more than 100 people at a shelter in Capitan. Many of them are still trying to find loved ones. Their hotline gets dozens of calls each day too.

One of those callers was Johnathan Dean.

“It made the feeling of being nervous about where they’re at a little bit better. People were so caring,” Dean said.

Finally, after posting and calling, he got a text from his dad. The relief came after days of waiting.

“I didn’t realize how much stress and tension was being held so I’m dealing with, like, an adrenaline feeling at this point knowing they’re safe,” Dean said.

He says his parents made it safely to Roswell. They just got service Thursday.

Dean says to others still waiting and wondering: Don’t give up hope.

“This community’s really shown itself and brought a little restored faith in humanity for me here,” Dean said.

If you’re trying to find a loved one, you can call the reunification hotline or go to the Reunite Ruidoso Facebook page:

• American Red Cross Reunification: 800-733-2767
• Ruidoso Reunite Facebook group