Resources for recovery from Cotton fires; apps for alerts and notifications

Below are resources available for those impacted by the recent Cotton 1 and Cotton 2 fires in Valencia County as well as ways to receive emergency alerts and monitor wildfires.

• United Way of North Central New Mexico is partnering with the village of Los Lunas to support recover efforts from the Desert Willow Complex Fire.

To donate, visit give.uwncnm.org/campaign/699958/donate. All funds raised will go toward helping residents rebuild and recover.

• The GoFundMe account created by the LL Firefighters Union is benefiting the fire victims of the Desert Willow Complex Fires. Every contribution will go directly toward providing shelter, clothing, and essential items for these families as they start to recover and rebuild.

• A state Disaster Resource Center is now open at the Daniel Fernandez Recreation Center, 1103 N.M. 314, Los Lunas.

The center will remain open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week until further notice. Valencia County residents impacted by the Desert Willow Complex fires can replace documents, get help with SNAP and Medicaid benefits, get help with insurance questions and claims, disaster case management and receive peer support.

For those who cannot go to the center, the State Disaster Helpline at 1-833-663-4736 is available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Information about resources can also be found at dhsem.nm.gov/2025wildfires.

• The American Red Cross New Mexico is at the Daniel Fernandez Recreation Center, 1103 N.M. 314, Los Lunas, for those who need resources after the Cotton fires. If you aren’t able to get to the center, call 1-800-RED-CROSS for assistance.

• To help Valencia County residents impacted by the recent fires and emergency personnel stay connected, Comcast has opened 438 public Xfinity WiFi hotspots in the area. The hotspots are available now and free for anyone to use.

For more information about the hotspots and how to connect to them, visit newmexico.comcast.com.

• Sign up for AlertSense — www.vrecc-nm.gov/158/Alert-Sense---Emergency-Notifications — to get emergency notifications within Valencia County by text, email and phone.

• Use Watch Duty to track wildfires. There is an app available for Android, iPhone and it can be accessed using a browser — app.watchduty.org

• The New Mexico Fire Information website — nmfireinfo.com — is an interagency effort by federal and state agencies in New Mexico to provide timely, accurate, fire and restriction information for the entire state.