RUIDOSO, N.M. – It was just two weeks ago when fires forced thousands of New Mexicans to flee their homes in Ruidoso.

Just one week ago, those people were allowed back into town to see what’s left, and what still needs protecting from dangerous flash floods.

The natural disasters ripped through the mountain community in just a matter of days, but Ruidoso leaders say it’s going to take years to rebuild.

Now, people in the village got a lot more information about those first steps down the long road to recovery.

It appears residents and village leaders are still figuring out just how much damage was done.

Fire officials still estimate at least 1,400 homes, businesses and other properties are destroyed. But that’s just from the fires, we still don’t know how much damage was caused by flash floods afterward.

Regardless, officials with the state’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department say they are ready to help people start to rebuild.

They hosted a virtual town hall Tuesday night where they detailed all the different types of assistance on the table, both from the state and FEMA. 

There are low-interest loans available for homeowners looking to rebuild, and business owners who are suffering lost revenue. There’s even full-service debris removal, both for fire and flood damage.

FEMA officials said Tuesday they’ve made a lot of changes to their assistance programs since the Calf Canyon/Hermit’s Peak fire destroyed hundreds of homes in northern New Mexico back in 2022. They’re urging anyone affected by the South Fork and Salt fires to apply.

“Every circumstance is unique, and so what I wouldn’t want anyone to do is walk away from this meeting thinking that you may not qualify for one thing or another,” said Major General Miguel Aguilar and acting secretary of the New Mexico Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department. 

Officials revealed the vast majority of assistance available is for primary residents, not folks who own a second home in Ruidoso.

However, anyone who regularly rents out those second homes can apply for business assistance. There is also rental assistance available.

State and village leaders also answered a lot of questions about this shift into recovery mode.

Mayor Lynn Crawford says there is still a shelter set up with shower and laundry facilities for anyone who still needs it.

Crawford also revealed there are races planned at Ruidoso Downs over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, but that’s dependent on flooding.

As for tourism in general – which is a huge part of Ruidoso’s economy – the mayor says they’re waiting for residents to get back on their feet.

“We will be going out with a new marketing campaign that’s, we’ve already got it ready to go. So, as soon as we’re we feel like that the business’ are ready, that the folks have a place to live, we will make sure that that happens and will go off on all social media, print digital billboards and the like,” said Crawford.  

As of Tuesday night, the South Fork and Salt fires are 85% contained, so it might not be long until fire crews gain full control over the fires.

However, the investigation into how those fires started continues. Officials said Tuesday there are no updates right now.