State foresters are reminding the public to prepare a “ready, set, go plan” as parts of New Mexico remain vulnerable to the kind of wildfires that ravaged land and properties last year.
“The southern parts of the state and the eastern plains are still really dry,” Laura McCarthy, a New Mexico state forester, told KOAT. “And so there is no guarantee that the wildfires this year won't be dangerous.”
The Hermit’s Peak Calf Canyon Fire of 2022 set a record for the largest wildfire in state history. With the danger of fire present, McCarthy said the “ready, set, go plan” is a way to be prepared.
McCarthy told KOAT the first and most crucial step is to get "Ready" by creating a disaster plan with an evacuation route. An emergency bag filled with essentials should be easily accessible. “Irreplaceable paperwork, irreplaceable photos coupled with clothes, medicines, toiletries, and a phone charger,” McCarthy suggested.
She also suggested keeping dry leaves and debris 30 feet clear from the home. “What you want to be doing in the ready phase is create a defensible space around your home,” McCarthy said.
The next thing to do is to be "Set,” which is awaiting when to evacuate. “At that point, it's not a matter of if you'll evacuate. It's more likely as to when you evacuate,” McCarthy said.
Being ready to “Go” is much easier after being ready and set. “We as the people who live here, we've got to adapt to this,” McCarthy said. “And the ready phase is a critical part of that adaptation.”
The 2022 Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire burned 341,471 acres between early April and late June in San Miguel, Mora, and Taos counties. The wildfire was the largest of the record-breaking 2022 New Mexico wildfire season and the largest wildfire of 2022 in the contiguous United States. The fire destroyed at least 903 structures, including several hundred homes, and damaged 85 more, while threatening more than 12,000 other structures in the region.
