‘MOTHER OF A MOVEMENT…And a Daughter of New Mexico

AND A DAUGHTER OF NEW MEXICO’

Community mourns legendary labor organizer Dolores Huerta

BY LOGAN ROYCE BEITMEN / ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

October 29, 2026

New Mexico native Dolores Huerta, an iconic labor organizer and activist, has died at the age of 96, sparking tributes across the country.

Huerta’s family made the announcement Wednesday morning in a Facebook post, requesting privacy and stating, “We know that many of you around the world share in our mourning, and we will be following up on plans to recognize and celebrate her incredible life and legacy.”

Huerta is best known for co-founding the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. Later known as the United Farm Workers, it was the first union for farmworkers in the United States.

The history of that movement had to be rewritten this March, when credible allegations surfaced that union co-founder Cesar Chavez raped and sexually abused underage girls. Huerta opened up about being sexually abused by Chavez, leading to the birth of two children, a secret she kept for 60 years and long after he died.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said at the time, “My heart goes out to my friend Dolores Huerta and anyone else who suffered abuse.” Lujan Grisham also noted that “the labor rights movement — built on respect for human dignity and collective power — is larger than any one individual.”

From the early 1970s on, Huerta’s life partner was Richard Chavez, Cesar’s brother, and together they had four kids. She also had seven children from two earlier marriages.

Huerta was born Dolores Clara Fernandez in 1930 in Dawson. Her father was a miner and union activist who went on to win a seat in the state Legislature. Her parents divorced when she was 3, and her mother took her and her brothers to California.

Immersed in a melting pot of Mexican, Filipino, African American, Japanese and Chinese working families, Huerta learned from her mother — who owned a restaurant and hotel — about independence, compassion and activism.

Huerta was a young, energetic elementary school teacher in the farm-rich San Joaquin Valley when she decided to answer another calling after growing frustrated by her students’ poor living conditions.

“I couldn’t stand seeing kids come to class hungry and needing shoes,” she said in a 2017 PBS “Independent Lens” documentary on her life. “I thought I could do more by organizing farmworkers than by trying to teach their hungry children.”

Throughout her life, Huerta consistently emphasized the power of the collective. In an interview with the Journal last April, she said the most difficult but most essential part of organizing is convincing ordinary people that they have the power to change things if they work together.

“Once people participate, then they learn, and it becomes part of them,” she said. “This is what we did with farmworkers, and what we still do in my foundation today. We go into communities, we have house meetings, we get them all together once we have the meetings, and then they decide what they want to improve within their community. And once they get involved, they go, ‘I can do this!’” That positive message is encapsulated in Huerta’s famous rallying cry, “¡Sí, se puede!,” or “Yes, we can!,” which became the motto of the UFW and has since been used by other activist groups.

Huerta’s work over the decades earned her a number of accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. When then-President Barack Obama presented the award in 2012, he praised Huerta as a tenacious leader and joked that he had stolen her slogan for his 2008 campaign.

Community leaders remember Huerta

LaLa Gonzales, the media and event coordinator for the New Mexico ¡Sí Se Puede! Committee, said Huerta dedicated her life to uplifting all voices and standing up for what’s right.

“Some experiences in life leave an imprint on your heart, and for me, having had the opportunity to work alongside Dolores Huerta … is one I will forever cherish,” Gonzales said. “… Her legacy is more than history. It is a living reminder of the power of perseverance, community and collective action.”

Nicolás Lell Benavides, Huerta’s cousin, composed an opera about her life, titled “Dolores,” which Opera Southwest performed at the National Hispanic Cultural Center last year. He said Huerta meant the world to him.

“I have looked up to her since I was a little boy,” Benavides said. “The thing that’s special about her is that she gave her time to make everybody feel special.”

Benavides said Huerta’s legacy is “very much alive” through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which recently broke ground on a new cultural center in Bakersfield, California.

“The Dolores Huerta Foundation, which started in the early 2000s, is still training grassroots community organizers. It’s still pushing forward (with) getout- the-vote drives. There are still people canvassing in (California’s) Central Valley as we speak,” he said.

Huerta’s work earned her many accolades. She was the first Latina to be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and she’s received nine honorary doctorates from U.S. universities.

Schools are named in her honor in California, Texas and Colorado. Her image graces many murals, and streets bear her name — including in Albuquerque.

Huerta remained focused on organizing even in her final days, Benavides said.

“I was lucky to be with her and the family just a few days ago, and even then, the organizing was going on. The thing that was on her mind was, ‘Are people OK? Are things going to be OK?’ That’s just who she was, through and through,” he said.

Benavides said he hopes New Mexicans will honor Huerta’s legacy through civic engagement.

“This is an opportunity for everybody to do what she’s been asking, which is to get out and vote and take care of our country and our fellow citizens. That was the most important thing in the world to her,” Benavides said. “Let’s not mourn her by doing nothing but express our grief by going out and changing the world … That’s what she would want more than anything. If you really want to honor her, just get out and express yourself (at the voting booth). You only have a few days left to do it.”

Zach Quintero, the former executive director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center, first met Huerta at a campaign rally in Las Cruces when he was a teenager. He said it was a great honor to work with her in a professional capacity years later at the NHCC.

“We’re going to be mourning for quite some time, for sure, but she instilled in us a fighting spirit that can never be extinguished,” Quintero said.

An ofrenda for Dolores

On Wednesday afternoon, local politicians and community leaders gathered in Old Town Albuquerque to dedicate an ofrenda for Huerta at the gazebo on the Plaza.

After placing marigolds on the ofrenda, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., addressed the crowd: “We are here today to honor an icon, the mother of a movement here in New Mexico, a mentor, a loved one, and a daughter of New Mexico — the indomitable, the amazing, the fierce and the beautiful Dolores Huerta.”

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller spoke of Huerta’s deep and abiding connection to the city.

“It’s with nostalgia but also gratitude that we remember her last birthday. She spent it with us right here in Albuquerque. That was about nine months ago. There were at least 2,000 of us who sang happy birthday to her onstage at Civic Plaza — a day that was certainly powerful, but now a day that we will never forget,” Keller said.

Kel ler said Huerta remained a tireless fighter for freedom and justice throughout her life.

“We owe so much to Dolores. Whether it’s basic things like our minimum wage … what she did for the environmental movement, her championing of immigrant causes … (or) standing up against tyranny and fighting against things like the federal government trying to round up immigrants, or trying to crush a lot of the reforms that she fought for, she was strong all the way up until the end,” Keller said.

Javier Martínez, the speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives, said he “fanboyed” over Huerta when he first met her at a sports bar in Detroit many years ago.

“I had the opportunity to meet her many times since, and her energy, commitment and love, not just for her people, but for all people, was palpable,” he said. “Her legacy will live on for generations to come … in the way of looking out for the most vulnerable and for working people everywhere.”

“How lucky were we … that we got to share space with her,” Martínez added. “And how lucky are we that this land of working people — the salt of the earth — is the land that gave birth to that icon.”

Alicia Romero, a historian who serves as Albuquerque Museum’s head curator, said Huerta left “a big wound in all of our hearts.”

“Like everyone else that we’ve heard from, I also had many times joyous memories with Dolores Huerta, the first time being at the Spanish Market in Santa Fe many years ago,” Romero said. “One of the things that I think made her so successful as a labor organizer was just her humility. Coming from a family in Dawson, New Mexico, raised by a humble Hispanic family, made her able to identify with and understand the many farmworker families she routinely engaged with in California, throughout the country, and throughout the world.”

Stansbury said the ofrenda will act as a public memorial.

“We invite the people of Albuquerque and New Mexico and the world to come share their thoughts and their memories and their offerings for her as she makes her passage to the other side,” Stansbury said.

State Investment Council rejects senator’s call to divest from Musk firms

NM State Senator Jeff Steinborn urged sale after Musk limited Starlink service for Ukrainian military

BY TILLY ROBINSON / ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

October 29, 2026

The leader of New Mexico’s sovereign wealth fund on Monday rejected a state senator’s call to divest from Elon Musk’s companies, saying the New Mexico State Investment Council’s Musk investments were minimal and divestment could violate its fiduciary duties.

In an Oct. 22 letter, Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, urged the state agency to relinquish its holdings in Musk-linked investments following the technology mogul’s decision earlier this month to disrupt Starlink internet service in Ukraine.

“New Mexico should not profit from investments that help sustain Russia’s war against Ukraine, nor should our public funds support corporate conduct that jeopardizes Ukraine’s defense against that aggression,” Steinborn wrote in the letter.

State Investment Officer Jon Clark responded in a Monday letter, saying that eliminating the sovereign wealth fund’s exposures to Musk would require the SIC to divest from passive stock indexes, a potentially complex and expensive task.

The SIC has roughly $188 million invested in Musk’s firms, representing about 0.25% of the council’s $75 billion portfolio, according to Clark’s letter. The SIC is exposed to about $12.5 million in SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, through its investment in the Russell 1000 index, which tracks the thousand largest American companies by market capitalization.

The SIC holds an additional $8 million in SpaceX through one of its managers, as well as $16.8 million through its private equity holdings. The fund’s investments in two Russell indexes also expose it to $147.3 million in Tesla stock. It holds nearly $3 million in Tesla debt through investments in one manager and two securities.

Through two of its managers, the SIC also holds $267,348 in Neuralink, a Musk company developing implantable technologies that connect human brains directly with computer systems.

The SIC invests revenue from the sales and leases of public lands, as well as oil and natural gas taxes, and uses a portion of the returns to support state services. Clark said the SIC’s ability to divest from Musk’s firms is constrained by the structure of its holdings and its duty to earn high, steady returns on investments made with public funds.

The SIC could direct active managers to invest in alternatives to Tesla and SpaceX, Clark wrote in his letter, but managers may not change their portfolios if they cannot find equivalents to the two firms.

Meanwhile, changes to the SIC’s passive investments — like the Russell indexes — could be even more difficult. Though the SIC could shift to customized passive portfolios that exclude Musk’s firms, the change might come with higher management fees and trading costs.

“The Council’s overriding legal and fiduciary responsibility is, without exception or political consideration, to optimize risk-adjusted returns for our beneficiaries, the majority of which are New Mexico school children and families,” Clark wrote in his Monday letter. “Paying more fees and/or earning lower financial returns for beneficiaries due to external considerations — no matter how worthy — is potentially a breach of fiduciary duty.”

Clark noted that New Mexico has divested in the past — from South Africa in the 1980s to protest apartheid, in 2007 from companies doing business with the Sudanese government during the genocide in Darfur, and in 2022 from Russia after it invaded Ukraine. But those decisions, Clark maintained in his reply to Steinborn, were “different instances, all with different details, factors and complications than what you are proposing today.”

Steinborn also asked in his Oct. 22 letter that the SIC review and “immediately cease” any investments in “Russian government securities, Russian-controlled businesses, and entities materially supporting Russia’s military operations.”

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Steinborn said he found Clark’s response “informative” but planned to press forward with his demands that the SIC divest from Musk’s firms.

“I appreciate that they promptly sent me that data. It was helpful in regards to Russia, but I think it also shows that our state does have investments in Starlink,” Steinborn said. “Therein lies my proposal — I do believe that we ought to be disinvesting from Starlink, pending a commitment from the company to never, ever, give a slowdown of services to Ukrainian armed forces trying to defend themselves from these human rights abuses.”

Ukrainian forces have relied on satellite internet from Starlink and its military-grade service, Starshield, for drone warfare, aerial defenses, and battlefield communications. But that dependence left them vulnerable when Musk limited Starlink’s speeds for more than a week this month, accusing Ukraine of misusing the platform.

“Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people,” Musk wrote in an Oct. 24 post on X. “That loophole was closed last week.”

Hours before Musk’s post, Ukrainian officials announced that Starlink and Starshield service had returned to their prior speeds.

Clark cited the reversal in his letter to Steinborn, writing that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s confirmation that Starlink was fully operational “is an important development in considering your request, while the reliability of that access remains a legitimate concern.”

UNM Health won’t concede to hackers after cyberattack

System officials warned patients and employees not to interact with groups claiming responsibility for the attack

BY TILLY ROBINSON / ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

October 29, 2026

The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center has not made concessions to hackers following Monday’s cyberattack, health system officials said Wednesday.

The announcement came after Byod, a ransomware group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The cybersecurity news site BleepingComputer reported Tuesday that Byod said it had compromised 36,000 systems belonging to UNM’s hospitals and main campus.

Byod said in a post to its data leak site that it had access to students’ and employees’ personal data, including Social Security numbers, payroll records and internal emails, according to BleepingComputer. The hacker group also said it accessed patient information and hospital appointment data.

UNM Health officials urged skepticism of Byod’s claims. The hospital system said in a news release Tuesday that technicians determined the attack “affected some end-user devices but did not penetrate core systems or servers.”

UNM Health spokesperson Chris Ramirez stood by the system’s findings, writing in an email Wednesday that “the information we’ve put out, as we’ve stated it, is factual and accurate despite what other groups may be claiming.”

But Ramirez told reporters at a news conference later Wednesday that the health system is still waiting to hear whether patient data was compromised. The FBI is conducting a forensic analysis of the incident as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, Ramirez said.

“When we complete a very thorough forensic analysis, we’ll have those answers,” Ramirez said. “I respect that those are the questions that people have right now, but we’re not in a position to be able to definitively make a comment until we have the final results of the forensic analysis.”

Ramirez said some UNM Health employees are still being asked not to turn on their computers, adding that some personal and workplace devices have been affected.

Earlier Wednesday, UNM Health officials warned patients, employees, students and the public not to engage with entities claiming responsibility for the attack.

“Following a cybersecurity incident, those responsible may attempt to exploit individuals through additional scams, including false offers of payments or compensation,” officials said in a news release. “Do not click links, open attachments, download files or provide personal or financial information.”

Interactions with hackers could expose UNM Health affiliates and the public to identity theft or fraud, officials warned.

The Wednesday news release recommended using strong passwords, turning on multifactor authentication, keeping devices updated, and being wary of unexpected links. UNM Health officials suggested verifying requests for money or information by visiting organizations’ official websites or calling their phone number, rather than using links sent via email or messaging.

Anyone who receives a message from a group claiming responsibility for the cyberattack should contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov or by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI, the news release said.

The cyberattack, discovered Monday morning, forced UNM Health to cancel all scheduled appointments and outpatient surgeries that day. Ambulances were diverted to other hospitals for a two-hour window on Monday, and classes were canceled at the UNM School of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and College of Population Health through Tuesday.

According to BleepingComputer, Byod said it would take down the post on its data leak site after UNM Health initiated communication.

Ramirez declined to comment on whether UNM Health had interacted with Byod. He also declined to comment on whether UNM Health was aware of any messages from Byod to patients, students or employees.

UNM Health computer systems back online after cyberattack

Attack forced the hospital system to cancel appointments and divert ambulances Monday

BY TILLY ROBINSON / ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

October 28, 2026

University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center computer systems are back online after a cyberattack paralyzed them Monday.

The cyberattack forced UNM Health System, the university’s clinical delivery arm, to cancel all appointments and outpatient surgeries scheduled for Monday.

Ambulances were diverted to other area hospital systems for a two-hour window early Monday afternoon, and classes were called off through Tuesday at the UNM School of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and College of Population Health. All UNMH hospitals are open, scheduled appointments have resumed and ambulance traffic is operating normally, according to a Tuesday news release. The health system began bringing systems online around 2:30 p.m. on Monday.

Technicians began trying to contain the cyberattack at 11 a.m. Monday and “determined that the event affected some end-user devices but did not penetrate core systems or servers,” UNMH officials said in the news release.

UNM Health notified state and federal law enforcement.

“This incident remains under criminal investigation, limiting any further information at this time,” UNMH said.

Hearing officer rejects bid to toss revised air permit for data center

Dec. 7 public hearing stays on despite push for a longer technical review

BY JUSTIN HORWATH / ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

October 28, 2026

Proceedings for an air quality permit for the Project Jupiter data center will continue despite the developer’s revisions to its application.

Hearing Officer James Browning, who is presiding over the air quality permit proceedings for Project Jupiter’s massive gas-fueled power plant, denied a motion to dismiss the revised permit.

Browning retained a Dec. 7 date for a public hearing on the application, said New Mexico Environment Department spokesperson Drew Goretzka.

New Energy Economy, a Santa Fe nonprofit, filed a motion on Oct. 14 to dismiss Yucca Growth Infrastructure’s application requesting the air permit. New Energy Economy argued that revisions to the permit application — made earlier this month — warrant a more extensive technical review by the New Mexico Environment Department and case intervenors.

Yucca Growth Infrastructure, a Texas company, is proposing to build a power plant to electrify the controversial Project Jupiter data center under construction in Santa Teresa.

The 2.4-gigawatt power plant will consist of electrochemical fuel cells fed with natural gas — a novel design because it does not combust the fuel. The capacity is massive, roughly equivalent to the power provided by Public Service Company of New Mexico’s entire electric grid.

Yucca Growth Infrastructure, or YGI, needs an air quality permit to build it.

Protests against Project Jupiter occurred in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Cruces on Tuesday. The permit proceedings, which began in July, have been marked by delays, court proceedings and a hearing officer’s recusal.

But New Energy Economy argued that YGI’s revisions to its permit application require a 45-day technical review by state officials and other participants in the case. New Energy Economy asked the department to dismiss the application as incomplete.

Goretzka said NMED does not know how long the technical review will take and that it is still awaiting information from YGI.

“These are not minor corrections,” Nanasi said in a Monday news release. “They fundamentally change the pollution sources, emissions estimates, and modeling assumptions that NMED and the public must independently scrutinize.”

New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney appointed Browning following the recusal of the former hearing officer Max Shepherd. NMED Deputy Secretary John Rhoderick will decide whether to issue the air permit.

In motions, NMED opposed New Energy Economy’s request to dismiss the revised permit application.

Permit revisions

In an Oct. 15 news release, Oracle, the software giant partnering with YGI on the project, said it “proposed a more environmentally protective refinement to the design for the Bloom Energy fuel cell microgrid that will power Project Jupiter.”

“The proposed refinement cuts the facility’s permitted emissions by approximately 35%, including greenhouse gas emissions,” the news release said. The company said it made the changes to address concerns about Project Jupiter’s pollution raised by members of the public.

“We studied the issues raised in the public record and came back with refinements that do even more to protect New Mexico’s air and climate,” Mahesh Thiagarajan, executive vice president and head of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, said in the news release. “We’re proud of the low-emissions solution that Bloom Energy fuel cells bring to Project Jupiter and are excited we were able to commit to even lower emissions than we originally expected.”

But YGI will make no engineering refinements to its microgrid that will reduce emissions. Rather, YGI asked to refine the language in its proposed air quality permit.

The microgrid will not operate at full capacity. That way, Project Jupiter’s tenants, such as OpenAI, are guaranteed uninterrupted power supply.

“The facility is being const ruc ted wit h redundancy to ensure reliability for electrical delivery,” YGI said in submitting its new application. YGI will not operate the facility at more than 1,600 megawatts, about 65% of full capacity.

The new application notes actual engineering changes. The fuel cell stacks will increase from 30 feet to 45 feet. Under the new configuration, YGI argues, pollution generated by the fuel cells will “disperse more effectively before reaching ground level, reducing potential pollutant concentrations in the surrounding area.”

“Commenters objected to the facility’s greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on New Mexico’s climate goals,” YGI’s revised application reads. But the “enforceable” 1,600-megawatt operating cap addresses that concern by cutting greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3 million tons annually, YGI said.

Thiagarajan and Oracle didn’t respond to emails seeking comment Tuesday. YGI also didn’t respond to a phone call and email seeking comment.

Project Jupiter in ‘potential breach’ of county agreement

Doña Ana County commissioners signal alarm over data center’s power generation plans

BY ALGERNON D’AMMASSA / ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

October 28, 2026

n a surprise move, Doña Ana County’s Board of Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to notify Project Jupiter’s developers of a “potential breach” of its $165 billion industrial revenue bond agreement, approved in 2025 to support financing for the data center.

Commission Chair Manny Sanchez made the motion after the panel met in closed session to discuss a number of matters confidentially with the county legal department for over two and half hours.

At about 3:30 p.m., the commissioners returned to public session and took action on Project Jupiter without elaborating. Sanchez simply stated that the potential breach concerned “their proposed power generation plan,” and directed county management to “engage in discussions to identify a potential path forward working with Doña Ana County.”

Project Jupiter is among the largest data center projects currently under development in the U.S. Located within 1,400 acres of industrial land in Santa Teresa, Stack Infrastructure is building four data center structures, cooling infrastructure and office space for Oracle Corp. and OpenAI. Yucca Growth Infrastructure and Bloom Energy are seeking air quality permitting for a natural gas-powered fuel cell installation to produce 2.45 gigawatts of power on site.

The crucial air quality permit application has been beset with procedural delays and is set for a public hearing to open on Dec. 7.

The commissioners pushed back when, half an hour before an Oct. 13 meeting that featured a scheduled update from Oracle, the company issued multiple news releases including an announcement of a proposed deal with El Paso Electric to provide backup utility power to the data center with plans to pay the utility $100 million over 10 years and “offset shared electric system costs that would otherwise be borne by EPE’s New Mexico customers.”

The commissioners had been aware of an easement that could allow a utility connection, but they protested that they were hearing about the proposed contract for the first time during the meeting.

The issue touches a nerve in the community where a connection to the region’s electric utility is seen as an open door for supply problems and cost increases borne by the public.

El Paso Electric is already seeking a $70.5 million base rate increase from its New Mexico customers, which would phase in with a 26.8% average increase for ratepayers in 2027 followed by an additional 18.7% hike nine months later. Evidentiary hearings before New Mexico’s Public Regulation Commission are set for December.

Sanchez told Oracle and Stack representatives at the Oct. 13 session that connecting to El Paso Electric would violate the IRB unless commissioners passed an amendment, requiring a majority vote Sanchez suggested might not be achieved.

The agreement states that the project “will power itself with an onsite microgrid system that includes natural gas generation, large-scale battery storage, and is actively exploring renewable energy integration.” It also states that the microgrid “will not impact existing customers’ power reliability or costs.”

Oracle representatives did not immediately respond to queries from the Journal late Tuesday afternoon following the meeting. A county spokesperson acknowledged questions from the Journal but did not comment.

‘It really is this bad’

Flooding triggers evacuations and rescues across San Juan County; officials declare state of emergency as severe storm system hammers region

BY JOHN MILLER / ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

October 24, 2026

Parts of San Juan County are underwater after heavy rainfall triggered historic flooding along the San Juan and Animas rivers Thursday, prompting evacuations, rooftop rescues and a breach of Bloomfield’s water reclamation plant.

Flood warnings were issued for communities along both waterways, which overflowed their banks into streets, homes and businesses, according to the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management.

San Juan County has declared a state of emergency, with additional state and federal declarations possible as officials assess what is shaping up to be a historic recovery effort for the San Juan Basin.

County Public Information Officer Devin Neeley estimated on Friday that approximately 1,500 residences had been evacuated countywide.

“I’ve seen water up halfway a garage door,” Neeley said. “I’ve seen people standing up to their knees in water across a road. It is striking.”

By Friday evening, emergency personnel had performed an estimated 60 rescue operations with an unknown number of county residents pulled to safety by helicopters lifting people off rooftops and boats ferrying others to dry land.

“The focus is on getting people out, not taking a head count,” Neeley explained.

No deaths had been reported as of Friday evening, though Neeley added that the number of injuries related to the emergency remained uncertain.

The Office of Emergency Management is directing residents to Perimeter Map, an online GIS emergency management tool that provides real-time evacuation updates. The map also indicates where residents can retrieve sandbags across the county.

The city of Bloomfield, 15 miles east of Farmington, issued a notice asking residents to conserve water after flooding from the San Juan River forced a temporary shutdown of the city’s water reclamation facility, allowing raw sewage to spill into the river and surrounding floodwaters, according to Neeley.

The American Red Cross established a shelter at McGee Park, near U.S. 64 and Road 5568 in Farmington. In Shiprock, First Baptist Church and Power House Church are also providing shelter to residents displaced by flooding.

Residents in San Juan County are advised to stay away from flooded areas and not to drive through flooded roads.

Powerful thunderstorms that moved east through Arizona into New Mexico this week also affected the Navajo Nation in the Four Corners region, with the Navajo Times reporting significant road damage and power outages around Shiprock.

“We’re seeing unprecedented flooding across the county, and we’re not done yet,” Neeley said. “We haven’t seen the crest of these rivers quite yet.”

‘A once-in-ageneration time for us’

Hundreds of first responders from local, county and state agencies responded to San Juan County on Thursday and Friday.

During a news conference livestreamed at noon on Friday, Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe urged residents to heed flood warnings and evacuation orders, as some people in the area had opted to remain in dangerous flood zones.

“We’re getting mixed reactions,” Hebbe said. “People are not believing that it’s going to be as bad as it is. But you can see the water flow coming, you can see the surge coming — it really is this bad.

“This is a once-in-a-generation time for us,” he added. “We have not stood up here before you talking like this. You’ve never seen me saying we need to do these evacuations before. This is singular, and it is real.”

Aerial images showed the scale of the flooding, with entire neighborhoods submerged in muddy water along the San Juan.

San Juan County Undersheri ff Cory Tanner reminded residents that flying drones in the area could ground emergency aircraft, a growing problem that also affected wildland firefighting operations across the state this summer.

“Folks who are curious and they’re sending up their private drones to check out the flooding or all the law enforcement activity — you are hampering our aircraft, our emergency aircraft that’s trying to perform rescues,” he said.

Infant rescued near Chaco Canyon

On Thursday night, first responders braved the stormy weather and washed-out terrain to evacuate an infant who had suffered repeated seizures at a remote residence near Chaco Canyon, according to the New Mexico National Guard.

Neeley said county dispatchers first received word from the child’s mother that her 7-day-old infant was suffering seizures midafternoon Thursday, but the severe weather kept first responders at bay.

Guardsmen, New Mexico State Police, tribal police and local EMS teams coordinated the response. When roads became impassable and aircraft remained grounded due to thunderstorm activity, three responders eventually left their vehicles and set out on foot.

Emergency personnel stayed on the phone with the infant’s mother until the three rescuers reached the home around midnight. They stabilized the infant, who had suffered approximately 12 seizures.

Just after 1 a.m., they coordinated medical transportation for the mother and child through Bloomfield Emergency Medical Services.

“Saving this infant’s life was a true whole-of-team effort,” said Maj. Gen. Miguel Aguilar, adjutant general of New Mexico. “When severe weather and washed-out roads grounded our aircraft, it took extraordinary persistence from every agency involved to reach this family.”

Historic flooding, persistent storms

The National Weather Service reported that the San Juan and Animas rivers reached historic flood levels on Friday as a result of the storm system, which is expected to move east across New Mexico through the weekend.

The San Juan River reached a gauge height of 23.17 feet at Shiprock and 14.5 feet near Farmington, exceeding major flood thresholds of 20.5 feet and 12 feet, respectively.

The Animas River had risen to 9.6 feet in Farmington as of late Friday morning, approaching a flood threshold of 10 feet.

The risk of severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall is forecast to persist through Saturday as a powerful Pacific storm system moves east across the state, according to the National Weather Service.

“The focus for some of these more robust showers and thunderstorms is going to be gradually working its way east across the state through the weekend,” said Clay Anderson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, “such that by Sunday, we’ll probably have very little activity across western New Mexico.”

Through the weekend, residents across much of New Mexico should remain alert for flash flooding, lightning, hail, damaging winds and the possibility of isolated tornadoes.

‘This isn’t over yet’

San Juan County officials warn flood threat continues and estimate hundreds were rescued as Shiprock bore the brunt Saturday

BY MATTHEW REISEN / ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

October 25, 2026

As night fell Friday, the rising waters of the San Juan River pushed into neighborhoods and flooded dozens of homes and properties. Ryan Dudgeon said she listened, helpless, as a herd of cattle bellowed in distress from somewhere in the darkness.

“There was nothing you could do and it was just devastating. And then they, you know, they just kind of stopped,” she said. “I just can’t imagine. It’s their livelihoods, and it’s just heartbreaking.”

Dudgeon, owner of Desert River Guides in Farmington, was one of many locals who jumped into action after the river broke its banks — turning the rafting shop into a makeshift animal shelter— as thousands were evacuated and first responders rescued hundreds of people across San Juan County.

On Saturday, Shiprock took the brunt of the historic flood event as the river lapped at the edges of the main bridge and submerged surrounding neighborhoods.

The flooding began Thursday as heavy rainfall hit the Four Corners region. By Friday evening, whole neighborhoods had been evacuated and at least 60 swift-water rescues happened across the county, including families lifted off rooftops by helicopter.

“It’s very surreal,” Dudgeon said. “When you’re doing it, you’re just kind of focused on what you’re doing. But if you scale it back and you notice the helicopters flying overhead and the swift-water rescuers and their rescue boats, and it’s pretty wild.”

The county declared a state of emergency, and on Saturday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham prepared a request for an emergency disaster declaration seeking federal assistance, estimating damage at $27.1 million as the San Juan and Animas rivers approached or pushed well past their flood thresholds.

A news release from the Governor’s Office said the San Juan had run 2 feet above its previous record height, set in 1909.

“Families in Bloomfield and Farmington spent the night on rooftops watching the river flood their homes, and our National Guard and State Police crews have been bringing them to safety,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “Right now, our focus is saving lives. If you’re told to evacuate, go. Once the water recedes, the state will do everything in its power to help San Juan County families rebuild.”

San Juan County Fire and Rescue Chief David Vega, in a news briefing Saturday, said it was too early to give an exact number of people they rescued.

“I will tell you, it’s high. … I suspect 200 to 300 actual rescues,” he said.

In all, Vega estimated up to 2,000 homes were impacted by flooding. Vega said fire crews had shown some heroic efforts and dealt with difficult situations.

“As of right now, we don’t know of any individuals that are still trapped. … So we feel pretty good about where we are today,” Vega said.

So far, no deaths have been reported. The number and extent of injuries remained unclear.

On Friday morning, more evacuations came in as Bloomfield police ordered residents to leave their homes along South Church Street and Road 5005, north of the San Juan River.

“We have storms impacting the area now and into the next hours, we DO expect a rise in the river,” the Bloomfield Police Department said in a Facebook post. “It is unknown what that level will be and how the impact will be.”

Vega said crews would soon search abandoned homes “to make sure that we haven’t missed anything.” He said as floodwaters drop, hazards like gas leaks and downed power lines will be exposed.

“We are literally going door to door, searching houses — making sure we have not missed anyone,” Vega said.

County Public Information Officer Devin Neeley said there was no count of how many people were displaced, but shelters, including one at McGee Park in Farmington, had not filled up.

Upon being peppered with questions on what the recovery will look like for affected homes and residents, Neeley said, “We have to get through the actual incident before we get to the recovery.”

Neeley pointed out that the Navajo Nation Police Department was unable to make the briefing. He said that’s because officers were busy rescuing residents as the area took the brunt of the storm Saturday.

“There is more water heading that way, those folks are in the thick of it right now,” Neeley said.

Navajo Nation police posted photos on Facebook Saturday afternoon showing floodwaters swallowing up roads and homes.

“Our hearts are with those affected by the flooding in Shiprock and surrounding areas,” according to the post. “We are deeply grateful to every single first responder helping our community members evacuate from their homes, carrying out rescues, and working to keep our communities safe.”

The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority said on Facebook that up to 500 Shiprock residents were without power, the wastewater treatment plant had been compromised — pushing sewage into the floodwaters — and the gas lines could be next.

The agency said gas crews were monitoring the situation, should the system have to be shut down, saying floodwaters were still expected to rise.

Before the aftermath

Throughout the news briefing, authorities warned the threat was alive and well.

San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari urged evacuated residents not to return to their homes and neighborhoods to check on damage or livestock.

“My message today is that this isn’t over yet,” he said. “There’s a lot of anxiety and there’s a lot of frustration but please understand that we are blocking those areas for your safety. … We’ll get you in there as soon as the weather is going to allow us.”

With the storm expected to stick around through Sunday, Ferrari cautioned against feeling a sense of security from watching floodwaters recede. “Remember how quickly it came yesterday? This can absolutely happen again — it’s a matter of seconds that we’ve seen complete neighborhoods be taken over,” he said.

When calls for help started going out over social media, Dudgeon said she and her colleagues — with their swift-water training and knowledge of the river — geared up.

“We’re kind of traveling around in the flooded areas, trying to help people get out of their homes,” she said. A call came in Friday from a family who fled their home in Bloomfield as it flooded, leaving behind a cat and three dogs — one a puppy in a crate.

Dudgeon said the water had reached up to a foot in the home but the puppy was able to keep its head above water and the team rescued all the animals.

“I was prepared for the worst, but it was successful,” she said. “They were glad to see us, I know that much. There was lots of tail wagging when we got there.”

Afterward, the city asked Dudgeon if it could use her raft shop as a temporary shelter, setting up corrals outside and cages inside. At one point they had taken in 15 animals, including dogs, cats, chickens and rabbits.

Then around 10:30 p.m. the shop had to be evacuated as the river rose higher and everything had to be broken down and moved to another location.

“It’s been a whirlwind. It’s been a roller coaster, ups and downs, highs and lows. I was grateful to find those animals alive — then the cows, and it’s just been awful,” she said.

One friend, Dudgeon said, was on a Zoom meeting when first responders knocked. When he answered the door, the floodwaters were up to his doorstep. Another friend called to say she was watching a dog clinging to the back of a tractor-trailer.

“She had been watching it all day, and then it eventually had to give up, and so she watched it — she couldn’t get to it — and then it floated away,” Dudgeon said.

But amid the flooding, which she called both catastrophic and unbelievable, the community has jumped in for each other, friends she hadn’t seen in years and people she never met before.

“They all kind of grouped together and made it happen … and that’s still going on. You can see it all over social media, ‘we’re here to help, we have this for you, we have that for you’ — in a town that feels maybe not so connected, how connected it became.”

‘The water was coming fast and strong’

Paraje residents clean up after weekend flooding

BY GREGORY R.C. HASMAN / ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

October 26, 2026

PARAJE – Lisa Cerno and her distant cousin, Jessica Rodriguez, walked through mud globs around their houses on Sunday afternoon as storm clouds hovered overhead.

Just a day earlier, water entered their homes, tore down fences and moved storage sheds hundreds of feet.

“The water was coming fast and strong and you could hear it,” Cerno said.

As Cerno continued assessing the damage, Rodriguez took out her rangefinder binoculars and found one of her grandmother’s sheds in the distance.

“Four-hundred twenty-nine yards,” she said. “So (about) 1,200 feet.”

About an hour earlier, Paraje resident Ashley Sarracino walked down Casa Blanca Road as a couple of feet of water flowed off the two-lane highway and into a nearby baseball field like a small waterfall.

“We’re normally very dry,” Sarracino said. “So seeing all this water is frightening.”

The Paraje area in Cibola County received a little over an inch of rain, which began late Thursday, but the damage and inconvenience it caused were greater than the total suggests.

After heavy rain on Thursday, water levels subsided, then the area received more on Saturday, causing N.M. 124 (Route 66) and Interstate 40 west of Paraje to close. About a mile of N.M. 124 remained closed as of Sunday afternoon.

Motorists were told to take Acorn Road through a 15 mph residential area in Paraje, which has caused concern among residents.

“So we had all these semis using this road that is not a relief route, and we don’t even know if it’s built to handle the weight,” Sarracino said. As Sarracino thought about the increased traffic through Paraje, Seth Grawcock, Pueblo of Laguna Utility Authority field operations supervisor, opened a manhole to check the sewer line.

“There’s probably seven or eight other manholes that go up to the lift station here that are all completely submerged,” Grawcock said. “So, it’s infiltrating into the sewer system and then going to our lift station, which is filling up our lagoon. But we can’t get there.

“I’m really hoping this is a one-and-done situation because it’s been a nightmare.”

The rain has affected the sewer system, forcing residents to boil their water.

Cibola County was not the only place to experience flooding.

Places like the Four Corners region received several inches of rain, causing widespread damage. On Sunday, Governor’s Office spokesperson Michael Coleman announced that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and New Mexico National Guard Maj. Gen. Miguel Aguilar will travel to San Juan County on Monday to survey damages.

The recent storms also produced tornadoes in places like Santa Fe.

Over the next few days, the National Weather Service said the weather will be dry, giving the state time to assess the damage.

Back in Paraje, Rodriguez and Cerno continued sorting their muddy homes and debris-filled backyards, wondering when they will receive attention for their floods.

“I just have to pick up the pieces and that’s all I could do right now,” Rodriguez said.

Recovery is possible. Our community must make it possible for more people.

By Francisco Delgado, community case manager at Bernalillo County’s Tiny Home Village, for the Albuquerque Journal

October 27, 2026

When Bernalillo County declared a state of emergency in response to the fentanyl crisis, it acknowledged what too many families already know: Substance use can devastate lives, separate families and take loved ones far too soon. Behind every statistic is a person who deserves the opportunity for a different future.

I know because I have lived that story.

Today, I serve as a community case manager at Bernalillo County’s Tiny Home Village, helping people navigate services and work toward stability.

But before I helped others find their way forward, I needed help myself.

My opioid addiction devastated my life and hurt the people I loved most.

My children watched their father live on the streets, and my family struggled to trust me again. I survived several overdoses and multiple suicide attempts.

At my lowest point, my mother told me she could not bear receiving a call saying I had been found dead. Her words made me confront what I stood to lose.

I served time at the Metropolitan Detention Center and later entered detox at Bernalillo County’s CARES Campus, where medication helped manage my withdrawal symptoms and staff supported me through the early stages of recovery.

With support from staff, clinicians, medical professionals and former users, I transitioned into the Supportive Aftercare Community program. There, I began addressing my mental health, understanding the pain connected to my substance use and building relationships with people I could speak to honestly. My care coordinators helped me connect with county services and take the next steps.

Those services are vital and gave me an opportunity to rebuild my life.

Today, I am eight years in recovery. I have continued my education, set goals for the future and developed a dream of opening my own behavioral health agency. Through my work with Bernalillo County, I can now help others facing challenges I once experienced.

My journey is why I believe our response to the fentanyl crisis must extend beyond an emergency declaration. An emergency declaration must lead to sustained action: support upon release, more opportunities to access treatment, stronger support after detox, and the housing and behavioral health services people need to build lasting recovery.

Through this declaration, Bernalillo County is demonstrating its dedication to addressing addiction with urgency, compassion and long-term solutions.

Bernalillo County provides important resources, including detox services at CARES Campus and supportive aftercare.

At the Tiny Home Village, I help residents identify medical and mental health needs, establish personal goals and connect with services. For some, that means securing housing or employment. For others, it means continuing their education or overcoming barriers to stability.

Every person’s journey is different. My job is to listen, respect individual choices and work alongside each person as they pursue their goals. I walk this journey with them, not for them.

Recovery takes more than detox or a single program.

People need continued access to treatment, mental healthcare, appropriate medications, stable housing and ongoing support. Families also need resources to navigate the challenges addiction brings. Too often, people must navigate complicated systems while experiencing homelessness, financial hardship or untreated mental health conditions.

We must strengthen connections among treatment providers, housing programs, medical professionals and community organizations so people can access the right help when they need it. The county’s emergency declaration is only a starting point for action.

Staff have already begun to identify gaps in services, strengthen existing programs, and expand access to treatment and long-term recovery support. Saving lives means not only responding to overdoses but also helping people build lives they can sustain in recovery.

Every day, I see people working toward a better future for themselves, their families and communities.

I see their struggles, but I also see their determination. I know what can happen when someone receives support and begins to believe in themselves again. Peer support is vital to this journey.

When we talk about fentanyl, we are talking about our children, parents, friends, neighbors and coworkers. Their lives matter, even when they are struggling. I was once the person who needed help.

Today, I have the privilege of helping others find their way forward. I want more people in our community to have that same opportunity. Recovery is possible. All levels of government are responsible for ensuring treatment, housing, behavioral healthcare, and continued support are available when people are ready to take that first step — and remain accessible as they rebuild their lives.