The Four Corners region was hit with catastrophic flooding last week as heavy rains caused rivers to overflow their banks and inundate communities. Evacuations were ordered for parts of San Juan County in Northwest New Mexico last week and hundreds of homes and other buildings were destroyed or damaged. There were more than 60 water rescues, though there were no reported deaths in the county.

In the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, San Juan County Manager Mike Stark joins Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Daniel J. Chacón to discuss the devastating effects of the flooding and where things stand for residents a week later. Stark says many residents who had their homes damaged or destroyed do not have flood insurance and will need assistance to rebuild. Damage estimates are still being tallied, but Stark says the final figure could total in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

As a safety warning, residents are recommended not to return to evacuated areas due to hazmat concerns and the potential for more rainfall in the coming days.

Stark says scammers have tried to take advantage of the tragedy. He recommends people go to the Office of Emergency Management for San Juan County Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/oemsjc/) or the office’s website at https://www.sjcoem.com to get connected with resources, recovery information and ways to help.

Speaking of a timetable for recovery, Stark says it may take years for some areas to get back in good order but “we’re in it for the long haul in trying to provide for these citizens who have had their lives turned upside down.”

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One of the biggest stories of the year in New Mexico has been the construction of Project Jupiter, a controversial hyperscale data center in Southern New Mexico.

In the latest episode of The New Mexican’s Around the Roundhouse podcast, hosted by politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón, state Sen. Carrie Hamblen, a Las Cruces Democrat, discusses concerns around the project, which is being built in her Senate district.

Hamblen, a former broadcast journalist who spent more than 20 years working both behind the scenes and on air for local NPR affiliate KRWG, also talks about recent recognitions she received from the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, as well as the New Mexico Press Association.

Hamblen, who is known at the Roundhouse for being a thoughtful and collegial legislator with a playful side, also discusses her role as president and CEO of the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce.

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Allegra Love is an immigration lawyer who for nearly 20 years has been on the front lines of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity by providing legal assistance to immigrants in Santa Fe and across New Mexico.

On the latest episode of the “Around the Roundhouse” podcast, Love joins Santa Fe New Mexican politics reporter Daniel J. Chacón to discuss the impact of the uptick in ICE arrests during President Donald Trump’s second administration and the toll it is having on immigrant communities.

Love works with Las Cumbres Community Services to provide rapid response legal services for people whose family members have been arrested by ICE. She discusses her experiences fighting for immigrants’ rights and her perspective on the Trump administration’s narrative that ICE is only going after “the worst of the worst.”

Love brings up the case of Edgar Chacon-Miranda, a Santa Fe resident who has legal status in the United States but was still arrested by ICE and detained for 30 days before being released. Love talks about how such actions impact families, noting the loss of income suffered by Chacon-Miranda’s family while he was in detention and unable to work, and the fear experienced by his daughters as they didn’t know what was going to happen with their father.

Also a public elementary school teacher, Love shares how she got involved in immigration issues and describes the emotional struggles of her work as an immigration attorney.

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