Glorieta camp closing down evacuation center next week

Staff members are trying to make sure all evacuees have someplace to go when it closes

GLORIETA — Jane Vigil is not sure where her family will go after the wildfire evacuation shelter at Glorieta Adventure Camps closes next week.

She left her home in Las Vegas, N.M., with her husband and three grandsons as the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire made its way closer to the city after burning more remote communities to the northwest.

Even after her neighborhood was deemed safe to enter, smoke damage prevented Vigil and her family from going home.

“We have to get the smoke out of everything,” she said.

Vigil is one of the 1,200 evacuees who have stayed at Glorieta Adventures Camps this month after fleeing from the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history, which had burned more than 303,000 acres by Thursday morning.

Over 500 evacuees were staying at the camp Thursday, including about 200 students from the United World College in Montezuma.

The American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and about 10 other organizations have set up shop at the faith-based wilderness retreat center southeast of Santa Fe to help the hundreds of people in need who have been housed

there. Organizations have provided aid ranging from basic hygiene supplies and food to medical and mental health services.

But Joshua Nelson, Glorieta Adventure Camps’ executive assistant, has said since early May the shelter was a temporary solution for evacuees and would have to close down by May 28 so the retreat center can prepare for its annual summer camps.

Students from United World College, who were the first evacuees to arrive in Glorieta, will be returning home Sunday as their school year comes to an end.

Nelson said he expects FEMA and the state government to help other evacuees get hotel rooms in the area.

Staff members will begin setting up exit interviews Friday to make sure everyone has a place to go, Nelson said, adding staff also will ensure evacuees are connected with the resources they need during the crisis.

“There are people here who can’t go home, or they can’t get home because of transportation,” he said. “So during the exit interview, we’re gonna get a list of needs and work with the state and local organizations to get them taken care of.”

At least 67 people have tested positive for COVID-19 at the retreat center since it opened its doors to evacuees three weeks ago. As of Thursday, there were six active cases at the camp.

Those who tested positive for the virus were able to quarantine in their rooms for five days, had meals delivered to their doors and were checked by medical professionals daily.

Nelson said three evacuees were hospitalized but returned to the camp after recovering.

“We’re highly encouraging everybody to get tested and to wear masks,” he said.

Carmen Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for FEMA, said the organization is providing funds for hotel rooms for evacuees who don’t have homeowner insurance policies that cover temporary housing costs. She urged evacuees to apply for FEMA benefits and noted they will not have to reimburse the agency for their hotel stay.

Many evacuees, including Vigil, have expressed frustration with the federal government, blaming the U.S. Forest Service for starting what became a massive fire when a prescribed burn in the Hermit Peak area went out of control. The Calf Canyon Fire, whose cause remains under investigation, ignited days later. The two blazes eventually merged amid critical fire conditions — a combination of extreme drought and high winds.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has called on President Joe Biden to ensure the federal government covers 100 percent of the costs associated with the wildfire response and recovery efforts, largely due to Forest Service’s culpability. But so far that has not been decided.

Vigil said she may have to take out a loan from the Small Business Administration to get her home repaired because FEMA aid won’t cover all the costs.

“Why should I have to apply for a loan if I can’t get that smoke out? … I told my husband this is wrong,” she said. “They should take care of it for everybody.”

Still, she said, “We are going to be OK. We just have to wait now for FEMA and our insurances to go see things.”

Before becoming an evacuee, Vigil said she was helping people affected by the fire. Now she and her oldest grandson, Emiliano, volunteer during their free time at Glorieta Adventure Camps.

“We never expected this to happen,” she said. “The kids, emotionally, are suffering. Parents need to talk to their children about what’s going on.”