RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) – Months after the Mcbride Fire tore through the village of Ruidoso. Residents there are still feeling the effects. One family hit hard by the fire is now dealing with flooding in the burn scar.
One of those families is the Roach family, who lost their home in the Mcbride Fire. “We’re in a temporary well up to a year we have a lease with a local Airbnb. So there’s not a lot of long-term rentals in our area,” said mother Karen Roach.
Now, after being given the green light to rebuild, they’re dealing with more devastation. “We’ve never seen it the whole time we live there flood like this through any of the monsoon seasons, but I guess with the burn scar just in our backyard, it is just washing us away each time we get a big rain,” said Roach, “the first really big flood that we had basically put us back at square one.”
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They’ve been trying to rebuild their home, but every time it rains heavily, the burn scar floods and they have to start from the beginning. “We have an old dried-up Creek in our back yard. We’ve never seen one drop of water in it in six and a half years. The last flood there was over seven and a half foot of water in it.”
The family does have insurance but says inflation and rising supply costs will only cover a fraction of what they need. “You know, you never think that it’s going to happen. And now we’re in a position where starting over is expensive after each situation that we have at our property.”
Roach says her and others in the community feel like the state has forgotten about them. “Our problems are no worse or no less than even our next-door neighbor. You know, we are all going through it together. And we do just really feel like maybe we’ve kind of got forgotten.”
The burn scar area from the McBride Fire was under a flash flood warning Wednesday. Rains are expected to continue Thursday, bringing another possibility of flooding.
For those who have been affected by the Mcbride fire, here is a list of links to click on for assistance:
FEMA support for those affected by the flames.
Community Foundation of Lincoln County: applications for grants.
HELP NM: For those who are in temporary housing and individuals or families who lack a fixed or adequate residence.