Wildfires, Flooding, Recovery, & Repeat

RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) – Ruidoso has been through a brutal cycle of wildfires, flooding, recovery, and repeat. As the village recoups from the devastating wildfires and monsoon flooding, Ruidoso is also welcoming back tourists – a vital component to the mountain town’s economy.

This week on the New Mexico News Podcast, longtime resident and village spokesperson Kerry Gladden joins Gabby to discuss how the village emergency response worked out, how the community is dealing with the aftermath, and what summers could look like going forward.

Gladden explains how the village already had a workforce shortage before the fires, but small business owners are ready and welcoming back visitors. “Apparently, we’re a resilient crew around here,” said Gladden. “So we’ll make it through and we’ll do it as a community.”

As far as the monsoons, she said “We know we’re gonna get flood waters. We’re preparing every second.”

Listen to the full discussion above for a breakdown of the disaster’s aftermath with Kerry Gladden.

Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Podcast every Tuesday, starting around 5:30 a.m., Mountain time. Episodes are available on most podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Podbean among others. The podcast is also now available in a video version on KRQE’s YouTube page.

Having trouble finding the show? Try searching your favorite podcast player with the term “KRQE” or “New Mexico News Podcast” (without the quotes). You can also use the links above to find the podcast on each service or listen to the audio player at the top of this post.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for who should be interviewed on the podcast, let us know! Email the hosts at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com.

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