By Sherry Robinson
All She Wrote

As news spread about a freak storm in Roswell that dumped nearly six inches of rain in as many hours, we worried about people and places. My husband was living in Roswell when I met him, and I’d visited many times.

Safe in a dry house, we were talking about this disaster when it occurred to us: We’re all vulnerable. Before, we could watch the news about fires and hurricanes, but if you don’t live in the mountains or on the coast, it’s a bit removed. The Roswell flood brings climate change to everyone’s front porch.

Roswell City Manager Chad Cole said recently that it would take years for his city to recover, reported the Roswell Daily Record. “We are looking at hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure and facilities. I mean it. I’m not sugar coating it.”

The Record, which is making its online edition available free as the city digs out, also reported that state and federal officials were on hand. The governor has declared an emergency, and that step released $1 million, which is something of a down payment for future projects. A disaster declaration from the president will release more money.

FEMA was going door to door, the city posted on Facebook. I’ve been among the agency’s critics in the past, but with new management in New Mexico it appears Roswell won’t suffer the bureaucratic neglect we saw in Mora and the northern mountains after the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fires.

Even so, people may have to adjust their expectations. For years there’s been a belief that after a disaster the government will make you whole. Nope. They will help, but nobody is going to make you whole. And the help they provide will take longer than suffering residents might wish.

Disaster funding begins with local government, which is the first responder. Large-scale destruction and its higher costs will quickly involve the state, which works with local governments to pay for what it can, often immediate response as well as longer term recovery. When disasters outstrip the resources of local and state governments, the federal government steps in. But as costs have spiraled, feds have asked states to take more responsibility. A FEMA director said in 2019 that federal spending on natural disasters was unsustainable.

This is all according to a 2020 report by The Pew Charitable Trusts, which studied how states pay for disaster recovery. New Mexico and many other states have disaster accounts, as well as rainy day or reserve funds, said the report. States can also appropriate money or budget for disaster needs.

Notice they mention “rainy day” funds. We don’t like that term in New Mexico. We’re rightfully proud of our permanent funds, and policy makers don’t want us to think the permanent funds are easily accessible. Early childhood education advocates moved heaven and earth to tap some of that money. We may have to think about something similar if the federal government becomes hard-nosed about its disaster spending.

Our candidates didn’t want to talk about this as they campaigned, but we’re overdue for a frank discussion. Michael Coleman, a spokesman for the governor (who is not running for office) hinted at it when he told Source New Mexico that natural disasters stemming from climate change are increasing in number and intensity.

“The more of these events we experience as a state, and as a nation, the more our collective resources for responding will be stretched thin,” he said. “We must fortify our infrastructure and make it more resilient against damaging and sometimes catastrophic weather events.”

 At times like these, it may seem cold to talk about recovery costs, but some realistic planning will assure that governments can respond to disasters down the road.

Sherry Robinson is a longtime New Mexico reporter and editor. She has worked in Grants, Gallup, the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico Business Weekly and Albuquerque Tribune. She is the author of four books. Her columns won first place in 2024 from New Mexico Press Women.