Dear friends,
As some of you may know, the banner photo for this blog is a picture of Ruidoso, New Mexico, taken from our living room window. We have lived in this lovely small mountain town for seven years. On Monday, Ruidoso was hit with not one but two major forest fires: the South Fork Fire and the Salt Fire. The two fires forced the evacuation of over 8000 people (including us) and burned 20,000 acres. Two people died. Authorities are still doing damage assessments, but it's estimated that approximately 1400 structures burned. On Wednesday, Ruidoso received heavy rain, which caused flash floods through the burn scar areas.
We have been extremely fortunate. We're safe and our house is fine. But so many of our neighbors and friends have lost everything.
The village and surrounding communities have rallied to help everyone in need, but those needs are great. There are people who are homeless and/or who have lost their jobs. Ruidoso is facing a long, hard period of recovery, but I do believe the town will recover in time. The locals are remarkably resilient and some of the kindest people I have ever known. If you find in your heart to offer assistance, the best local organization is The Community Foundation of Lincoln County. They have been around for decades and are dedicated to helping local citizens in need after a disaster. The link: www.cfolc.org
Thank you.
Jeanne
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