It has been a rough week for the residents in the Jemez Mountains. Local leaders are working to recover from the destruction after a wildfire broke out on Wednesday and a flash flood swept through on Friday.
All of these happened just days before the Fourth of July weekend, which is typically a busy and economically important time for businesses like restaurants and hotels in the village of Jemez Springs, just south of the McCauley Springs Fire.
Michael Nealeigh, mayor of Jemez Springs, said the biggest challenge is road cleanup after flooding, boulders, and debris spread throughout the roadways. He said repairs are moving fast, and the village is on schedule for this weekend’s events, but visitors still need to be careful.
“What takes place in the village of Jemez Springs will take place. The impact for us is that people might decide that they don’t want to come up if they can’t go into the forest and hike,” he said.
Meanwhile, some campgrounds in the area will be open, but with restriction in place. The Santa Fe National Forest is in stage 2 restrictions starting Friday. “You think of starting a fire, you’re in trouble,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, the flood has temporarily closed some businesses, but for the most part, they expect to be up and running again by Wednesday.
Despite the setbacks, the mayor said the spirits in the village are running high. “There’s a strong expectation that this will be worked out because they’re professionals. Hundreds of them are here to protect us from the fire and to take care of the fire and resolve that, and they’re now at 33 percent containment”.
There is strict compliance with the no-fireworks rule across the region for all 4th of July celebrations, he said.