Have you ever heard your heart in your ears? It’s that adrenaline rush that results from both good and bad events in our life. Often enough the events that trigger this feeling are good, your favorite team winning, that lucky break or unexpected promotion. There are also times in life that events happen without our control. Going into spring of 2022 the last thing that Norma Nix, a resident of Mineral Hills New Mexico expected was anything out of the ordinary.

Norma, a mother of two adult children and many grandchildren living in her family home since 1995, unfortunately experienced that unexpected event. Her home was a place that she and her late former husband had bought and completed together. They made it a home for their children to grow up in, to have family meals, and make happy memories in. A place that she later had made her own sanctuary away from the bustle of her hometown of Santa Fe.

April 19^th, 2022, was a day where the State Police in a caravan of officers asked her to grab what she could and evacuate. As they banged on other doors, she was forced to abandon her home, and all her belongings. Her home right in the middle of a devastating fire destroying everything it touched and moving fast. Calf Canyon is just 3 miles from her home and Hermits Peak only 12 miles. 

“I lost everything on Mother’s Day, my entire home, my photos, and all of my children’s childhood memories.”

Coming from a place of grief and shock where everything is surreal and also being overwhelmed with incoming information. How do you even begin trying to recover when you aren't sure where to start? When you don't even have a stable place to sleep. “I was fortunate that I had a friend that offered me a place to stay while I sorted out what to do next, and even then, I had to stay with her till June.” In the meantime, FEMA and other Agencies were descending upon the area and working with residents of Mora and San Miguel.

Norma, eventually found herself an apartment to live in while she tried to continue supporting herself. “I had to fend for myself since my divorce, so I didn’t have anyone to help me.” That was till she was put in touch with an organization called Neighbors Helping Neighbors and met Janna Lopez. She was advised to visit the USDA Rural Development (RD) Office in Las Vegas New Mexico and pick up an application for Disaster grant funding under the 504 Repair Program.

She took the application back to Janna who helped her to fill it out and supply all the information to the local USDA RD Office. This was when she met Laura Hurtado, a single-family housing loan specialist. "The application consisted of gathering information from Norma, the grant does require us to determine if the applicant meets all eligibility requirements." Laura explained. 

Between Janna and Laura, she was able to get funding to build the foundation for her new manufactured home. She was able to get her water well, electric utilities and septic system rehabilitated and upgraded since they had been damaged by the fire.

“That was over two years ago…it took so long because of all the different people you need to deal with. I just moved home in March, and it’s…an adjustment, I had a home home before, but I am thankful for the home I have now. It’s just different and even now I walk around my property and find pieces of debris from my old home. Even the land scape has changed, they had to remove 300 damaged trees and there are still more that need to come down.” Norma explained, and I can hear the heavy grief in her tone, “But without you guys I wouldn’t be here, back on my property and in my home,” she adds.

The story doesn’t end here for Norma and the residents of Mineral Hills. “There is still a lot of work that needs to be done here, we still need help, our roads need repair, arroyo clean outs, culvert work to even get up to our homes and more material needed.” While one more person has returned home there is more that is needed for this community to thrive once more. I am hopeful for the residents of San Miguel County, that they will receive the much-needed aide, that attention to their stories will inspire other organizations to be innovative with funding.

While her words and tone have picked up, what I hear is an incredibly strong woman who has fought to come home. We get a moment of laughter comparing the areas of New Mexico we grew up in and I can’t help but feel amazed by her gracious spirit. Her drive is truly inspiring, and I am beyond humbled to have met her and sat in her new home. 

For more information on how to apply and grant eligibility areas and income limits please visit us at Rural Disaster Housing Repair Grant Fact Sheet. You may also contact us at 505-761-4950.