Gov. Bill Richardson Visits Sunland Park
SUNLAND PARK, NM–Governor Bill Richardson announced a state of emergency for Sunland Park and DonaAna County onWednesday as hesurveyed the aftermath of Tuesday’s rainstorm.
Richardson’s announcement means state dollars will start flowing to areas that need it the most.
“Many areas were affected, but none as badly as Sunland Park,” Richardson said. “I’ve heard reportsthat asmany as a thousand people have been displaced.”
Many of those residents who evacuated their homes returned early Wednesday to find their properties surrounded by the same water they had tried to escape.
Norma Guerra lives in Sunland Park and described her experience to ABC-7, “Oh yeah, it was scary,” Guerra said.”My porch is leaking. The bathroom was leaking. But I’m just worried about my kids.”
“My car won’t start. It was stuck inside the water. I don’t know what’s damaged inside the vehicle,” she added.
Richardson’s emergency declaration will allow close to a million dollars to be split among eight counties to repair damaged roads.
“We’re also going to see if these funds are sufficient,” he said.”If they’re not, we’re going to be there for Sunland Park.”
Dona Ana County Commissioner Dolores Caviness expressed her gratitudefor the allocation. “I want to thank the governor from the bottom of my heart, fromall the residents of Dona Ana County, for responding to our need so quickly,” she said.
After the money is spent, Richardson has promised another assessment of the damage. And if more money is needed, Richardson said he would work to secure more money for the area.
