RUIDOSO, N.M. – The town of Ruidoso will start to reopen Monday morning following improvements on fire containment. That number is now at 26% for the South Fork Fire, and 7% for the Salt Fire.

The South Fork and Salt Fires are still burning on both sides of Ruidoso, and the threat of flash floods still looms over the village. But local, state and federal leaders are already looking down the long road to recovery.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham joined FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell Saturday to get a firsthand look at the hundreds and hundreds of homes destroyed by the South Fork Fire.

“Having the administrator on site when we’re still fighting the fire is a testament to the clear commitment to do everything we can to support the men and women in this community, to rebuild,” said Lujan Grisham. 

Criswell says President Biden’s disaster declaration ensures the feds will be pitching in on a few different levels.

“One of them’s individual assistance, and that is for residents, family members who have lost either their entire home or had damage to their home or had to evacuate and incur costs,” said Criswell. 

Lincoln County officials now estimate roughly 1,000 homes are destroyed. Starting Monday morning, residents will be allowed back into town to see if theirs is still standing.

“A lot of folks have nothing, and it’s going to be emotionally impactful to these folks, we need to be here to support them,” said Crawford. 

Crawford says Monday’s reopening is for full-time residents only. Folks with a second home in Ruidoso and tourists are asked to stay away. 

Anyone returning is urged to bring a week’s worth of food and drinking water, and know some utilities will still be turned off.

Officials say this is not a return to normal life.

“We don’t have the resources right now, we are without power. So in the grocery stores, all their refrigerated goods, frozen goods, they’ve had to throw them out. We haven’t restocked our fuels system. Right now the gas stations are closed. The fuel tanks are running dry. We’re trying to get fuel trucks in here. We can’t support external people for very long,” said Randall Camp, a Lincoln County manager. 

Criswell says residents affected by the wildfires can register for federal assistance now, either online or in-person. She admits this is not the same FEMA that handled previous wildfires in New Mexico.

“We’ve made a lot of changes to our program that just went into effect this year. And so if you were affected in the past, and perhaps you were denied assistance by FEMA, you are probably eligible for assistance this time because of the changes,” said Criswell. 

Even with federal and state assistance on the table, Crawford estimates it could take at least five years to fully recover.

“The government can’t do everything for us, and so it’s going to be up to our citizens to rebuild this community. And we’re going to expect help from these folks here. And I know that we’re gonna get it,” said Crawford. 

It’s important to remember this crisis is not over yet, and it will still be a while until life returns to normal in Ruidoso. 

The FBI is offering a reward $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for starting the fires. If you have any information, you can call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit http://tips.FBI.gov.