Residents begin cleanup as the city requests state disaster assistance.
SANTA FE, N.M. —
Cleanup efforts are underway in southern Santa Fe after a tornado with winds topping 110 mph struck Camino Chueco and Rancho Siringo Road on Saturday night.
The tornado’s path was short, covering a 1.4-mile radius, but it still left behind extensive damage. Debris, including wood and insulation, lined the street. Some homes were so damaged that interior spaces are exposed to the open air.
For longtime residents, the storm brought unprecedented conditions. Gary Romero, who has lived in his home for 20 years, recalled the moment the storm hit.
“Our skylight got blown out. Hail, rain, then our windows got shattered. The wind started blowing, glass blowing everywhere. I was yelling at my wife to hide,” Romero said.
Romero described the intensity of the storm and the dark conditions inside his house during the impact.
“The one thing that struck me the most was how dark it got. I was about ten feet from my wife yelling for her, couldn’t see her, couldn’t find her and it seemed like forever,” Romero said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen and didn’t know when it was going to end.”
The tornado also hit the neighboring home of Romero’s parents, uprooting long-standing trees. Romero’s sister-in-law, Cynthia Romero, pointed out structural debris that was displaced during the storm, including campers and a heavy cover that were thrown across the property.
“The tree actually flew in. Thank God these campers were here because the tree actually held the destruction and how the impact from the house,” Cynthia Romero said. “There is a well cover that is thousands of pounds. This somehow flew over the house, into those trees and into the front yard. It’s very hard to lift.”
Reflecting on the aftermath, Gary Romero expressed relief that his family survived.
“I’m thinking it could have blown through there and taken us out. When it was all done. That’s when you realized how lucky you were,” Gary Romero said.
In response to the damage, Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia announced that the city is assisting impacted residents and officially requesting a disaster declaration.
“We will work with the homeowners to make sure that they get the appropriate connections, whether it’s their homeowner’s insurance or Red Cross,” Garcia said. “The proclamation is to initially request state assistance, and there is that potential for federal assistance should the state then make that determination.”
Garcia advised individuals seeking to assist affected residents to contact the City of Santa Fe’s Constituent Services team.
As recovery efforts continue, Gary Romero credited utility workers, emergency crews, and community volunteers who stepped in to assist with the cleanup.
“I give it up to PNM and the other crews that were out here, because they must have worked 24 hours,” Gary Romero said. “Yesterday we had so many people out here helping. And they weren’t just family and friends, they were strangers.”
