El Paso Didn't Apply For Federal Disaster Declaration

Six New Mexico counties will be able to get federal aid in response to the early February cold snap that crippled the Borderland, but El Paso as a city and county didn't even apply for the federal disaster declaration.

The cold snap brought freezing cold temperatures, busted pipes, rolling blackouts and a water emergency to El Pasoans. But in the eyes of the federal government, it was not a disaster.

"It has to be beyond something that the city can handle on their own," said El Paso Mayor John Cook.

Cook explained to KFOX 14 the criteria for a federal disaster declaration, which clears the way for federal aid during recovery efforts. First, did it kill any crops?

"If it did, then is there some assistance that the state and federal government can give communities," said Cook.

Second, what was the impact on businesses and did it have a long-term effect on jobs?

"Businesses had to shut down and lay people off, that would be something you could get some financial assistance from either the state or the federal government," Cook told KFOX 14.

Finally, how did it affect residents?

"Require long term temporary housing for people like the flood that we had for 2006, then that would be something that would qualify," he said.

But none of that happened in El Paso County, so the application for a disaster declaration was never filled out.

The closest New Mexico county that did get that disaster declaration was Otero County, which has a lot more agriculture and is much more rural than El Paso.