ROSWELL, N.M. – Folks in Chaves County know it’s going to be a while before all the destruction is cleaned up from this past weekend’s flooding. 

In fact, we still don’t know the full extent of the damage. We do know the feds stepped in to help after other flooding this year in Ruidoso and Las Vegas. Now, the big question is will FEMA step in to help Chaves County?

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made an emergency declaration Monday for Chaves County. That unlocks $1 million now for relief efforts. 

An executive order also allocated $750,000 to the Department of Homeland Security and $250,000 to the New Mexico National Guard for disaster relief. 

But, people in Chaves County are wondering why FEMA is not on the ground. On Tuesday, KOB 4 spoke with Ali Rye, the state director for Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Rye says the funding from the emergency declaration helps with the debris cleanup process. She says the state cannot give out assistance that has to be at the federal level. 

The first thing her department does is asses the damage, and certain requirements have to be met first.

“For public assistance, which is public infrastructure, so when you think about your roads, your bridges, any kind of publicly-owned buildings, it’ll also include public universities, churches, things like that — the threshold is $4 million. So we have to meet $4 million in damages for us to be able to ask the federal government to come and help assist,” said Rye. “As far as homes, that one’s a little bit more complicated. It’s a formula, and we will actually have to go out and look at each individual home that has been impacted, determine where the water line was in that home, see what the matrix is.”

Rye says the total damage in the entire county has to be $44 million or more. The process of asking for a federal disaster declaration could take a while.

But Rye says they are working to finish the assessment as quickly as possible. In the meantime, there are things you can do to help yourself now before FEMA comes.

“Just take photos. Take as many photos as you possibly can. So that way, whenever we come through, or when FEMA comes through, you have that documentation,” said Rye. 

There’s no timeline on when a federal disaster declaration could be made. But there is now a 24/7 hotline number you can call to direct you to resources. That’s 1-833-663-4736, and you can call 211 if you are looking for missing loved ones.

You can also make a donation through the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico.