New Mexico's Superintendent of Insurance and APCIA Urge Passage of Hermit's Peak Fire Assistance Act

SANTA FE, New Mexico, June 29 (TNSreact) -- The American Property Casualty Insurance Association issued the following news release:

New Mexico Superintendent of Insurance Russell Toal and the President and CEO of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), David A. Sampson, applaud the introduction of the Hermit's Peak Fire Assistance Act and urge Congress to act quickly so residents impacted by the fire have the resources needed to rebuild and recover.

"My staff and I continue to work daily with the insurance industry to help New Mexico residents that have lost their homes in the Hermit's Peak and Calf Canyon Fires," said Toal. "We continue to grieve for those impacted by these destructive wildfires. Regretfully, these wildfires were avoidable, but with the Biden Administration quickly taking responsibility, the federal government will cover 100 percent of the eligible costs to communities and residents over the next three months to assist with debris removal and other recovery efforts. But more must be done. We urge Congress to work together on an expedited passage of the Hermit's Peak Fire Assistance Act in order to give residents all the help they need, providing resources for those that lost their homes, businesses, and other property; including those who were uninsured for wildfire risk."

The Hermit's Peak Fire merged with the Calf Canyon Fire to create New Mexico's largest wildfire in history. The wildfires started from an approved prescribed fire planned by the U.S. Forest Service in the Santa Fe National Forest. This fire has charred more than 340,000 acres so far.

"We applaud the leadership of Senator Ben Ray Lujan and Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez, and the entire New Mexico congressional delegation for the immediate introduction of this legislation to ensure that the federal government not only accepts responsibility but steps up and is held financially accountable to make those impacted whole again," said Sampson. "At the onset of these terrible fires, APCIA and our member companies have been working with Superintendent Toal and his team to help assist our policyholders and serve as a resource to all those affected. We commend Superintendent Toal for all he has done and join him in urging Congress to act as soon as possible, as they have done in the past for similar disasters caused by the federal government, so that the financial recovery and rebuilding can truly begin. Meanwhile, insurers remain committed to helping policyholders, and all those impacted by other fires, as communities work to return to normal."

Superintendent Toal and APCIA's Sampson further noted that as the monsoon season begins in New Mexico, flooding presents an increased risk for residents in areas recently impacted by wildfires. "We call on FEMA to work with the National Park Service to ensure that residents have ready access to coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program."

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Original text here: https://www.apci.org/media/news-releases/release/72361/