News

“My Staff is Spent”: New Mexico Emergency Management Leader Reflects on a Year of Disasters

The Toll of 2024’s Disasters on New Mexico’s Emergency Management

In 2024, New Mexico faced an unprecedented wave of disasters that tested the state’s emergency management system to its limits. From raging wildfires in the summer to catastrophic flooding in the fall, the state’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) was at the forefront of response efforts. For Deputy Secretary Ali Rye, the past year has been a grueling experience, one that has left both her staff and the broader New Mexico community emotionally and physically drained.

In a candid interview with Source New Mexico, Rye shared the heavy toll these back-to-back disasters have had on the small but dedicated team within the DHSEM. It’s been a year marked by constant response and recovery work, with little time to regroup. Rye’s reflections paint a picture of a state caught in an unrelenting cycle of disaster relief, where the “before,” “during,” and “after” phases of recovery often blur into one long, exhausting effort.

The year 2024 will be remembered for more than just the natural disasters themselves. It marked a historic shift for the state’s emergency management efforts, with President Joe Biden issuing two major disaster declarations, the first time that has happened since 2014. With these disasters, the state’s emergency management teams had to scale up their operations to meet the growing demands of crisis response.

A Year of Unrelenting Disasters

In June 2024, two wildfires erupted in the Ruidoso area, including the South Fork and Salt fires, which devastated communities and claimed lives. The fires, though fierce in their own right, were followed by flooding that destroyed over 1,500 homes and left many without shelter. It was a one-two punch that not only wreaked havoc on the environment but left many New Mexicans grappling with the loss of their homes and livelihoods.

mexico disaster response fires floods

While the fires themselves were tragic, the aftermath brought its own set of challenges. DHSEM coordinated an extensive response effort, marshaling resources, deploying personnel, and working with local governments to organize aid for affected communities. One notable action was the deployment of sandbags in the aftermath of the fires to mitigate post-fire flooding, a task that demonstrated the agility and resourcefulness of the agency.

For Rye, the wildfires and their aftermath marked the beginning of a relentless period. “We have been in this constant response or recovery mode,” she explained. The demands of managing both the immediate response and long-term recovery created a constant whirlwind of activity that left little room for recovery—either for the people of New Mexico or for the emergency management teams themselves.

The Roswell Floods and the Breaking Point

Just months after the Ruidoso fires, New Mexico found itself dealing with another disaster. In October 2024, heavy rains triggered devastating flooding in Roswell, a city that was ill-prepared for such an event. The floods, which resulted in at least two deaths, further stretched the state’s emergency response capacity. Rye noted that the damage in Roswell was particularly severe, as many homes and businesses were submerged under the rising waters.

For the DHSEM team, the floods were the latest chapter in an already exhausting year. But the agency had learned from past disasters. “Our staff has been through this before, but this was a different kind of event,” said Rye. The floods in Roswell required a more coordinated response between local, state, and federal agencies. A flood of this magnitude tested the state’s infrastructure, emergency response systems, and resource distribution to the breaking point.

Despite these challenges, the DHSEM found a way to rally, providing relief efforts and coordinating recovery missions. However, the sheer volume of work required to address both the immediate effects of the flooding and the longer-term recovery left the emergency management agency feeling strained. Rye described her team as “spent,” acknowledging the emotional and physical toll of the year’s events.

Key Disaster Moments in 2024:

  • South Fork and Salt Fires: Over 1,500 homes destroyed, two fatalities, and extensive flooding.
  • Roswell Floods: Catastrophic flooding in October, resulting in at least two deaths.

Struggling to Keep Up with the Demands

The DHSEM, despite its dedicated staff, has struggled to keep pace with the increasing frequency and severity of disasters in recent years. As Rye put it, “New Mexicans are spent.” While many agencies across the country have faced similar challenges, New Mexico’s unique geography and vulnerability to wildfires and floods have made it especially susceptible to these crises.

Emergency management teams in New Mexico, while small in size, are stretched thin with the growing demands of disaster response and recovery. In the past, the state had enjoyed a relative reprieve from major disasters, but the past few years have shown a stark shift. As Rye pointed out, the period between 2012 and 2022 was relatively calm, aside from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. But since then, the state has faced nearly constant disasters, with 2024 standing as a particularly severe year.

The state’s emergency management efforts have had to evolve rapidly to keep up. Rye and her team rely heavily on collaboration, drawing in resources from local governments, nonprofit organizations, and even federal agencies to tackle the growing challenges. The need for coordination is greater than ever, with each disaster requiring a complex mix of logistics, manpower, and planning.

Despite the strain, Rye remains optimistic about the future. “We know how to respond to these disasters, but it’s becoming harder to stay ahead of them,” she said. The demand for emergency management services is growing, and it’s clear that the state will need to invest more in its infrastructure and support systems to manage future disasters.

A Call for Long-Term Investment

Looking ahead, Rye emphasized the need for long-term investment in New Mexico’s emergency management infrastructure. While the DHSEM has responded admirably in times of crisis, it is clear that the agency needs more resources to handle the increasing frequency of disasters. This includes both personnel and equipment, as well as long-term planning to address the root causes of disasters, such as climate change and urban development in vulnerable areas.

For New Mexico’s emergency management professionals, the coming years will be critical. As disasters continue to strike with increasing intensity, the state will need to be better prepared than ever before. Rye’s reflections serve as both a call for recognition of the tireless work done by emergency responders and a plea for more investment in the systems that support them.

Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *