President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for New Mexico's wildfires that have spanned at least 165,276 acres.
USA Today reported that U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez announced the presidential disaster declaration during an evening briefing by the U.S. Forest Service about efforts to contain the sprawling wildfire in northeastern New Mexico, which has fanned out across 250 square miles (647 square kilometers) of high alpine forest and grasslands at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains.
NPR quoted the congresswoman as saying, "It will help us do that rebuilding and it will help us with the expenses and the hardship that people are facing right now. We're glad it happened this quickly."
The declaration releases emergency funds to recovery efforts in three counties in northeastern New Mexico, as well as portions of southern New Mexico where wind-driven blazes killed two people and destroyed more than 200 homes in mid-April.
The aid includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other relief programs for individuals and businesses, a statement from the White House said.
