We will be going back to New Mexico tomorrow. Our internet and TV provider lost its hub that provides the signal to the area. They estimate 6-10 weeks before it can be rebuilt. We will not have internet service. I wanted you all to know I am fine, just unable to communicate.
My son told me to use my phone as a hot spot. We will save that for business matters. Our data plan is low since I never use my phone for anything but calls and texts. The ATT tower should be fully operational today.
Most of the power lines to the critical towers burned. PNM, our electric provider, has 400 employees trying to replace 1,300 utility poles. We are fortunate. We have power. My neighbor has Wi-fi from a different provider. I called his provider to add a second Wi-fi to our house. My appointment is July 25. They have expedited our installation, are possibly bringing in additional installers, and will move us up the wait list if they do get additional help. We will keep both providers as back-ups to each other.
The hospital has reopened. At our age, we were not going to go back without medical services. I have prescriptions to refill. We are taking a huge amount of water. The state water testing lab is backed up, so the village is on a boil water notice until the results are available.
The village is packed with recovery workers. The virtual meeting I watched introduced everyone. People were there from Washington, DC.
Currently, flooding is a big threat. Soil burned in a wildfire is like concrete. No water can penetrate it. The rain rushes down slopes picking up debris, logs, and gunk. Flash flooding is a certainty. Our house is not in a flood prone area, but our access to it is. We know the area well and have a residential street that is on high ground that will take us to the main highway. The monsoon season is beginning. We need the rain, but need it to fall away from the burn scars. I think that is an impossible wish to grant.
Engineers and consultants are studying the South wall of the Upper Canyon. They fear it will collapse and produce a catastrophic landslide. Mitigation is underway to reinforce the canyon walls. The river will be impacted affecting water supply to the village and communities in the valley downstream if there is a collapse.
Speaking of the Upper Canyon, I was listening to the scanner on the day of the fire. The person in charge said that he was pulling all personnel from the back of the canyon. Fire had breached the canyon walls, and they were at risk. I sent a quick message we were evacuating. We left quickly. I know the topography. If the fire made its way through the bottom of that canyon it would be funneled to the main highway and the heart of the village. Prior to that, the fire was running parallel to us. My only concern was being able to breathe, but that became a nonissue. The fire burned everything in the back of the canyon which only has one exit. It was stopped just before the second bridge and hundreds of homes were saved.
Thank you to everyone who voiced their concern in earlier posts. We may be old, but with that came some wisdom. It is going to be interesting to return to my childhood where the only entertainment was the radio, puzzles, board games, and reading.
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