FEMA Awards More than $5.4 Million to New Mexico for Debris and Sediment Removal

DENTON, Texas – More than $5.4 million has been awarded to the state of New Mexico by the Federal Emergency Management Agency

(FEMA) for debris and sediment removal from a number of retention ponds in the aftermath of severe storms and torrential rains in late

August 2011.

More than $4.1 million of the funding will cover costs related to the removal and disposal of silt and debris from 11 secondary retention structures

for the Santa Clara Pueblo. Nearly $1.3 million of the funding will cover costs to remove and dispose of sediment from a Cochiti Pueblo retention structure.

“We are committed to working with our state, local and tribal partners to assist in the recovery process. Debris and sediment removal

activities such as this are critical to the communities’ recovery because debris can pose a significant threat to the lives and safety of

residents,” said FEMA Region 6 Acting Administrator Tony Robinson.

FEMA’s contribution, made possible by a Public Assistance grant, represents a 75 percent federal cost share. FEMA awards funding

for projects directly to the state of New Mexico; the state then forwards the grant to the eligible applicant.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and

improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. 

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