Monthly Archives: July 2012

7 Year Old Boy Raises Funds for Little Bear Survivors… Reply

by • Donations • Tags: , , , , , ,

Lincoln County (July 30, 2012): Edward and Darlene Camus have a 7-year-old grandson, Joey Camus, who lives in Maryland but has been here to visit them.  They sent him a clipping of the newspaper article telling about the Little Bear Fire.  Joey went to his parents and said he wanted to earn some money so he could send it to the fire survivors.  He worked at various chores and earned money which he then sent to his grandparents asking them to be sure it helped someone who was hurt by the fire.

If Joey can help then so can all of us…

The road to recovery from this fire and the possible flooding is going to be long and hard. It is also going to be very expensive, especially for those who have lost more than they can personally shelter. But you can make a life-changing difference for these families.

By making a financial donation to the Little Bear Fire Relief Fund, you are giving hope to these families in need. Won’t you please consider giving a kind donation to this important cause?

100% of your donations will go directly to these families.

We will rebuild… we need your help. Reply

by • Donations • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

On June 4th, 2012 lightening sparked a fire now known as the Little Bear Fire in the mountains overlooking Lincoln County, New Mexico. From there it grew to become New Mexico’s most devastating fire in history. When the smoke had cleared, this little mountain community was left with over 250 homes and businesses that were completely wiped out. Homes burned, lives turned upside down, pristine forest destroyed.

Unfortunately, shortly after the flames were extinguished, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that they will not be offering any personal financial assistance to the survivors of this fire.

Little Bear Recovery TeamIn the wake of this disaster, the Little Bear Recovery Team was formed. This team is made up of all volunteers who live and work in the Lincoln County area. We were formed with the sole purpose of providing support to the survivors of this devastating incident. We are dedicated to helping each family that was affected by this fire to reach a point of full recovery from their losses. It is our earnest hope and prayer that by sharing our hearts and resources with our friends and neighbors in need, we can help them overcome the tremendous obstacles that lie ahead during this recovery period.

The road to recovery from this fire and the possible flooding is going to be long and hard. It is also going to be very expensive, especially for those who have lost more than they can personally shelter. But you can make a life-changing difference for these families.

By making a financial donation to the Little Bear Fire Relief Fund, you are giving hope to these families in need. Won’t you please consider giving a kind donation to this important cause?

100% of your donations will go directly to these families.

BAER Fact Sheet for July 13, 2012… Reply

by • Forest Recovery • Tags: , , , , ,

Lincoln County,NM (July 13,2012): Latest BAER Fact Sheet

Fire Area Closure: For public safety, closure of the Little Bear burn area remains in effect.

Aerial Application of Grass Seed: Grass seed is being spread on 19,211 acres of National Forest lands categorized as receiving moderate to severe burn intensity. Aerial seeding will occur at a rate of approximately 25 seeds per square foot in the areas that will also receive mulch, and at a rate of approximately 70 seeds per square foot on areas that are being treated with grass seed only. The seed will be spread using fixed wing aircraft.

Grass Seed Mix (certified weed-free) for Little Bear fire area:

  • Barley (sterile/annual) – 88%. Barley seed can sprout in just a few days with good moisture.
  • Slender Wheatgrass (native to the area) – 10%
  • Little Bluestem, Muttongrass and Prairie Junegrass (all native to the area) – 2%, combined

Aerial Application of Straw Mulch: Approximately 10,241 acres of moderately and severely burned National Forest lands that are being treated with straw mulch. These mulched areas are also being treated with grass seed. The mulch is being applied by helicopter at a rate of one ton per acre, which equates to approximately an inch of coverage on the ground. The straw mulch provides ground cover and retains moisture to help the grass seed sprout. It also reduces the impacts of rainfall on the soil.

Restoring Vegetation Reduces Runoff of Water and Debris: Treating burned areas with seed and mulch has proven to be highly effective in restoring vegetation, stabilizing soil, and reducing runoff of water, soil, ash, and debris. This combined treatment also significantly reduces impacts on private property, roads, bridges, infrastructure, and other values downstream.

Early Warning Systems: Precipitation-gage data, coupled with run-off model data from the US Forest Service (USFS) BAER Team, will provide alert information to Lincoln County, the Village of Ruidoso, and other emergency personnel. US Geological Survey (USGS) has worked in cooperation with the USFS and NM Dept. of Homeland Security & Emergency Management to install precipitation gages on Buck Mountain, at Skyview recreation site near Monjeau Peak, at Blue Front/Crest Trail, near Nogal Peak, and near the Rio Bonito stables. A lake-stage precipitation system has been placed on the north shore of Bonito Lake just north of Bonito Dam. A stream flow gauge has been placed at Rio Bonito and the bridge at NM 48. Three USGS stream gages already in place in Eagle Creek are also being used to obtain precipitation and runoff data for the Little Bear fire area. The data from all of these gages covers all watershed areas affected by the Little Bear fire.

Roads: A large amount of work to repair roads that were damaged during the fire and reinforce roads to lessen the impacts from increased runoff of water and debris has been completed, especially along Forest Roads 131, 107, 127A and 117. This road work includes removal or replacement of culverts, installation of water bars, in-sloping and out-sloping to reduce erosion on gravel and dirt roads, grading or resurfacing, and installation of drain dips. Work to recondition roads after rains and runoff is ongoing.

Hazard Trees: Removal of severely burned trees already identified along county, state and National Forest System roads adjacent to Lincoln National forest lands is mostly complete. However, hazard trees will continue to be identified and removed as necessary.

Recreation: Work to repair fire damage in recreation areas including South Fork Campground is ongoing. Recreation trails have been assessed but much of the work that is planned for the trails must be postponed until the monsoon rains have passed.

For more information:
Little Bear BAER Information: (575) 224-BAER (2237)
littlebear.baer@gmail.com
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2926/

The SBA is Here! Reply

by • Recovery Center • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Lincoln County, NM (July 11, 2012): The Small Business Administration Disaster Relief Team is Here! They have set up an office here at the Little Bear Recovery Center on Hwy 48 1.75 miles North of the Hwy 37 cutoff. Please come by and register with them if you have had any sort of loss of personal property or any kind of business loss as a result of the damage caused by the Little Bear Fire incident.

The SBA is available Monday – Friday from 9am – 5:30pm at the Little Bear Recovery Center. The SBA will be here in person until the close of the business day on Thursday, July 26th, 2012.

GETTING DISASTER HELP FROM SBA: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

  • SBA offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, non-profit organizations.
  • SBA disaster loans are the primary source of money to pay for repair or replacement costs not fully covered by insurance or other compensation.
  • Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace their primary residence.
  • Homeowners and renters may borrow up to $40,000 to replace personal property.
  • Businesses may borrow up to $2 million for any combination of property damage or economic injury.
  • SBA offers low-interest working capital loans (called Economic Injury Disaster Loans) to small businesses and most private, non-profit organizations of all sizes having difficulty meeting obligations as a result of the disaster.

SBA Will only be on site at the Recovery Center Until Thursday, July 26. The easiest way to sign up is with them in person, so please come by and take advantage of this opportunity. If you miss them in person, you can still apply by September 7th, 2012 for Physical Damages and April 9th, 2013 for Economic Injury by phone or over the internet. See below for details. But don’t wait, apply now!

THREE WAYS TO APPLY TO SBA

  • Apply in person at any Disaster Loan Outreach Center and receive personal, one-on-one help from an SBA representative. For information or to find a location near you, call SBA at (800) 659-2955 or visit our website at: http://www.sba.gov/content/current-disaster-declarations. Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may call (800) 877-8339.
  • You may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
  • You may complete a paper application and mail it to SBA at: 14925 Kingsport Rd., Ft. Worth, TX 76155-2243.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO SURVIVORS: The SBA Loan Process is the first step for many other types of financial assistance that will be available. If you do not apply with them, you may not be able to apply with other entities and funding sources. So please take a few minutes and do this application process. You don’t have to use any part of the loan if you are accepted.

For more detailed facts about the SBA, please refer to this fact sheet: SBA Fact Sheet

Donation Center: New Needs, New Hours Reply

by • Donations • Tags: , , , , , , ,

The Little Bear Donation Center has new needs and new hours.

The survivors are in need of paper towels as well as other cleaning supplies. If you would like to donate these items, please drop them off at the Donation Center which is located at:

 1940 Sudderth Dr.

The new hours the Donation Center will be open are as follows:

9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Saturday

This Donation Center is open for all of the survivors of the Little Bear fire. If you have suffered loss of property due to the fire, you are why the Donation Center is here. Please come on by and take what you need. If there is something specific that you need that is not at the Donation Center, please let us know and we will get the word out!

Again, a big “Thank You” goes out to all of the people and organizations who have donated items to our Little Bear Survivors.

BAER Update: Aerial application of grass seed to begin on Little Bear fire area… Reply

by • Forest Recovery • Tags: , , , ,

Lincoln County, NM (July 6, 2012) The burned area assessment report has been completed for the Little Bear fire, and all Burned Area Emergency Response treatment recommendations and funding requests submitted to date have been approved.

Aerial application of grass seed will begin during the week of July 8, 2012. Aerial seeding will occur in two or more phases, starting on approximately 12,000 acres of heavily burned lands within Lincoln National Forest. Once the grass seed has been spread by fixed wing aircraft, straw mulch will be placed by helicopter on a portion of those seeded areas where slope and terrain allow.

Aerial seeding in high elevations has been found to be very successful in the Southwestern Region. Straw mulch protects the grass seed and encourages germination by retaining moisture, in addition to providing immediate ground cover on heavily burned areas where vegetation has been lost.

The grass seed mix is certified weed-free and is mostly comprised of annual grass that can germinate in just a few days with moisture. Grass growth slows runoff, reduces erosion and improves water absorption. This treatment is very effective in restoring vegetation and reducing the impacts of runoff on values and property downstream.

BAER work to armor and recondition roads is progressing well. However, repairs to roads will be ongoing throughout the monsoon season as flows produced by heavy rains continue to impact roads in and around the fire area. Culverts are being cleaned and maintained to remove debris. Rolling dips and water bars have been installed on several Forest roads that are frequently used by the public to carry water away and reduce washouts.

Removal of hazard trees is about 90% complete along roads and in areas that are critical to public safety. The toilets in the public restrooms at Forest Service campgrounds have been pumped to prevent them from contaminating the water runoff during heavy rains.

Suppression rehabilitation is nearly complete on 39 miles of dozer line, which is also being treated with grass seed; and on 34 miles of line constructed by hand.

Lincoln National Forest is working alongside numerous agencies and organizations including Lincoln County, Village of Ruidoso, Mescalero Apache Tribe, City of Alamogordo, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), NM Dept. of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Upper Hondo Soil and Water Conservation District, NM Department of Transportation, and NM Environment Department to lessen the impacts from heavy rains and help residents prepare for flooding and debris flows. For more information on services available to residents or for help with treatment on private lands, please visit http://littlebearrecovery.org/ or our InciWeb page at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2926/.

Update on Flood Watch… Reply

by • Alerts • Tags: , , , ,

Lincoln County, NM (July 6, 2012): Increased Water Flows Seen Downstream of Bonito Lake Thursday
1-2 inches of rain fell Thursday in the general vicinity of the Little Bear Fire burn area producing heavy flows of water in some rivers, creeks, streams and canyons. Flooding was seen in Kraut Canyon and some others that are usually dry. A break in the rain over night allowed water to recede from the affected waterways. More rain is expected today and flash flooding is possible. The Lincoln County Watershed Protection & Restoration group is out in force again this morning clearing debris out of affected waterways to minimize the impacts of fire debris compromising critical infrastructure. There have been no reports of injuries or damage to homes. All evacuations were temporary and limited.

First Christian Church on Hull Road has made themselves available to take evacuees if any evacuations are issued today. The Lincoln County Emergency Services will be monitoring waterways as rain starts to fall throughout the county and will notify residents as necessary of any developing hazardous situations

County road crews are clearing flood debris from roads in Sierra Vista, Sun Valley and on Bonito Lake Road. Roads above Bonito Lake and at Monjeau continue to be littered with debris. Bridges throughout the county held well during this rain event.

Residents are being urged to keep an eye on the weather by monitoring NOAA weather radio or http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abq/ and to be aware of the effects of rain falling upstream. Sustained heavy rain over the burn area can cause an increase in water flow many miles downstream. Water flows coming from the Little Bear Fire burn area will be full of ash and debris making them heavier and more dangerous.

Consider evacuation routes that avoid main roads at the bottoms of canyons which can unexpectedly flood. DO NOT drive through any flooded area. Waters may be full of silt which is extremely slick and can quickly cause loss of traction. You will not be able to see through flood waters carrying ash and debris to determine whether the roadway is intact.

DO NOT drive through any flooded area

Homeowners are being urged to keep culverts on their private property free of debris and to move animals, equipment and anything that could be carried downstream by flood waters to higher ground NOW. Alert systems are in place but you may have only a short time to respond once an evacuation notice is issued. It is the landowners personal responsibility to clear debris from private property.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Upper Hondo Soil and Water Conservation District are teaming up to help landowners restore burned areas and minimize erosion and flooding. Native Grass Seed to cover 1 acre is available free of charge at the Upper Hondo SWCD office in Capitan, 516 W. 1st St. (Hwy 380), 354-2220, across from the Capitan High School. Mulch is also available (as much as you need) at the Capitan UHSWCD office, at the Little Bear Recovery Center on Highway 48 between MM 14 and 15, and at the entrance to The Ranches of Sonterra, Unit 1, Villa Madonna, and Nazarene Church Camp (Bonita Park).
New Mexico State Forestry is now taking orders for Fall delivery of 1 and 2 year old seedlings from their New Mexico Conservation Seedlings program. Native trees and shrubs are available for a very reasonable price. Go to their webpage at www.nmforestry.com to order on line or call 505-476-3325 to have information mailed to you.

Alert: Please be prepared for flash flooding… Reply

by • Alerts • Tags: , ,

Lincoln County, NM (July 5, 2012): Isolated thunderstorms producing lightning and areas of heavy rain are possible this afternoon over Lincoln County. Flash flooding is possible. Residents are being asked to be vigilant if they see or hear of rainfall moving into the area. The County will be issuing evacuations via the Reverse 911-Code Red system to residents within 100 yards of all affected rivers and streams as rain starts to fall. Residents are urged to take every evacuation order seriously and to move to higher ground at the first sign of rising water.

DO NOT WAIT – EVACUATE!

Skies may be clear where you are but rain falling upstream through the areas affected by recent fires may move downstream more rapidly than usual. Water flows coming from the Little Bear Fire burn area will be full of ash and debris making them heavier and more dangerous.

Consider evacuation routes that avoid main roads at the bottoms of canyons which can unexpectedly flood. DO NOT drive through any flooded area. Waters may be full of silt which is extremely slick and can quickly cause loss of traction. You will not be able to see through flood waters carrying ash and debris to determine whether the roadway is intact.

Waters flowing in creeks and streams that is black and full of ash and debris is dangerous and may contain toxic run off from burnt structures upstream. Do not allow your children to play in or near these waters or allow your pets to drink from them. The dark murky waters can disguise other hazards. Please keep children and pets away from creeks, streams and arroyos – even if they are dry.

Homeowners are being urged to keep culverts on their private property free of debris and to move animals, equipment and anything that could be carried downstream by flood waters to higher ground NOW. Alert systems are in place but you may have only a short time to respond once an evacuation notice is issued. The Lincoln County Watershed Protection & Restoration group is clearing debris from drainages in 200 square miles of Lincoln County. It is the landowners personal responsibility to clear debris from private property.

Monitor current weather conditions at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abq/

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Upper Hondo Soil and Water Conservation District are teaming up to help landowners restore burned areas and minimize erosion and flooding. Native Grass Seed to cover 1 acre is available free of charge at the Upper Hondo SWCD office in Capitan, 516 W. 1st St.  (Hwy 380), 354-2220, across from the Capitan High School.  This seed will have to be covered with mulch and watered. Mulch is also available (as much as you need) at the Capitan UHSWCD office, at the Little Bear Recovery Center on Highway 48 between MM 14 and 15, and at the entrance to The Ranches of Sonterra, Unit 1, Villa Madonna, and Nazarene Church Camp (Bonita Park).

New Mexico State Forestry is now taking orders for Fall delivery of 1 and 2 year old seedlings from their New Mexico Conservation Seedlings program.  Native trees and shrubs are available for a very reasonable price.  Go to their webpage at www.nmforestry.com to order on line or call 505-476-3325 to have information mailed to you.

A Recovery Guide, designed to provide citizens with information regarding various forms of assistance, has been developed and is available at the Little Bear Recovery website (www.littlebearrecovery.org).  The disaster recovery team has set up an information number, 575-258-INFO (4636), that is designed to put citizens in direct contact with an individual who can provide information regarding animal assistance, basic needs, health and wellbeing, insurance assistance, legal assistance, debris removal, and other services that may be needed. This information line will be staffed Monday- Friday 8:00 to 5:00

Recovery and preparedness assistance can also be found at: http://lincolncountyready.com/.

If you are cleaning up a burned structure, you should be aware of the inherent hazards.  Learn how to protect yourself by consulting: www.tpaa.com.au/files/Fire%20Clean-Up%20Summary, http://www.epa.gov/naturalevents/returnhomeadvisory.htm, and

http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Disaster/Fire/

Little Bear Recovery and Donation Centers Closed July 4th Reply

by • PSAs • Tags: ,

Just a quick reminder that both the Little Bear Recovery Center and the Donation Center will be closed for the holiday tomorrow, July 4th.

Have a wonderful Independence Day celebration and we will see you again starting the 5th.

Please note the Recovery Center’s new hours of operation: Monday through Saturday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Lots of Updates from the Recovery Team… Reply

by • Recovery Center • Tags: , , , , , , ,

Little Bear Recovery TeamLincoln County, NM (July 2, 2012): Hello Lincoln County and beyond! We wanted to update you on several things that are going on with regards to the ongoing recovery efforts and some preventative measures that are going on here with regards to the potential flooding hazard within the Bonito Watershed.

Little Bear Recovery Center

The Recovery Center has had a very busy few first weeks. Since we officially opened on June 23rd, we have had nearly 90 families that suffered loss of land and/or property come by and register with one of our case workers. We now have over 35 people who have volunteered their time and dedicated their hearts to helping the survivors of this incident as case workers! Each survivor who registers is assigned a caring associate that will help guide them through their own personal recovery process. We are thrilled to offer this service to our neighbors in need. If you are a survivor of the Little Bear Fire and have not registered with the Recovery Center, please come by the center and do so. You can also start the registration process online by clicking on the Survivor tab at the top of this page.

The Recovery Center is changing its hours. The new hours will be from 9am – 3pm Monday – Saturday.

Little Bear Donations Center

The Donations Center is in full operation! The Donation Center is located at 1940 Sudderth Drive in Ruidoso, NM right across the street from the Circle J Barbecue. If you have items that you would like to donate, please feel free to take them to the donation facility Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and Saturday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.   Please take note, both the Recovery Center and the Donation Center will be closed on July 4th.

Here are some guidelines for donations:

  • As mentioned before, we are all set with clothing, so please do not donate clothes.
  • If you are wanting to donate items to the Donations Center, please make sure the items are clean and in good working order. New or “like-new” items are the best choice. Remember that most of the survivor families have no means to clean or fix up items as they are currently displaced from their homes. If you have a lot of older items that can still fetch some money at a garage sale, please consider having a sale and then either donated the proceeds directly or purchasing new items to donate to the survivors. We appreciate you and your desire to give. Please help work together with us to provide the best assistance possible for our friends and neighbors in need. Thank you so very much for standing with us in this effort to help those in need.
  • Survivors who are working on the recovery of their property are in need of tools (power and hand and garden), gloves and work boots.

Financial Donations

We have begun to receive some financial donations from various sources. Thanks to all of you that have given to the Little Bear Fire Fund at City Bank in Ruidoso or have clicked on our Donate button at the upper right side of this screen. 100% of all money donated to this fund will go directly to the benefit of the survivors. All administrative costs are being graciously covered with funds outside of this source so that we can make this promise. As the case managers identify the specific unmet needs of each family, your donations will play a critical part in this recovery effort. The more money we have to offer, the more complete of a recovery solution we can offer. Please carefully consider donating to these families today.

Volunteers

Many of you have taken the time already to fill out our volunteer forms on this site and have been connected with our volunteer coordination team. Thank you for your willingness to participate in this recovery effort. The full recovery may last for many months, so please be aware that the opportunity for you to use your specific skills may be today or it may be sometime in the future. But rest assured, our coordinators will contact you as the needs arise. If you want to volunteer and have not already done so, please fill out the online form here. Or simply visit the Little Bear Recovery Center on Hwy 48, 2 miles north of the Hwy 37 turn off.

There are some immediate needs relating to volunteer efforts in preparation for flood conditions that may arise with our monsoon season, especially along the flood plain of the Rio Bonito Watershed. Please see the following post to get information on how you can help with this effort: Sand Bag Fillers Needed

Also, as we have mentioned numerous times, we have the great privilege and blessing to host the Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Relief Team at the Angus Church of the Nazarene. This ministry still needs volunteers for the all important effort of assisting the survivors with sifting through debris and cleaning off their home sites. Please read the following post to get information about how you can help with these efforts: All Hands On Deck: Samaritan’s Purse Really Needs Our Help…

Stay Safe… Work Together