[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E132]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMENDING JANNA LOPEZ FOR HER OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY 
             DURING THE HERMIT'S PEAK/CALF CANYON WILDFIRE

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 17, 2023

  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Janna Lopez 
from Las Vegas, New Mexico. The Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire started 
on April 6, 2022, when a U.S. Forest Service prescribed burn got out of 
control. It burned 341,735 acres between April and late August in the 
southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains in San Miguel, Mora, and Taos 
counties. It was the largest wildfire in New Mexico history.
  Janna immediately stepped up to help the residents of Mora and San 
Miguel Counties. In collaboration with the community, she rapidly set 
up a shelter where her team, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, provided food 
and shelter to hundreds of displaced residents for over 10 months.
  Janna's commitment to serving others is inspiring. Her work to bring 
people and organizations together is the embodiment of community. 
Neighbors Helping Neighbors serves San Miguel, Mora, and Colfax 
counties and beyond. The team has donated hundreds of thousands of 
dollars directly and in kind to their neighbors. During the initial 
phases of the wildfire response, Janna also coordinated donations from 
local businesses, national relief organizations, and established a co-
located Disaster Relief Center with FEMA. Her passion for serving 
others has also led to her service as a Committee Chair for the Mora 
San Miguel Hermit's Peak Calf Canyon Long Term Recovery Group.
  Janna is an exemplary model of how we can help one another as fellow 
citizens of this great Nation. We honor her and the countless New 
Mexicans, businesses, non-profits, and organizations who also donated 
their time, effort, and money to help New Mexico recover during this 
extremely difficult time. When President Biden visited New Mexico on 
June 11, 2022, he said, ``We have a responsibility to help this state 
recover, to help the families who have been here for centuries in 
beautiful northern New Mexico villages who can't go home and whose 
livelihoods have been fundamentally changed.''
  Empowered by the work and stories of Janna and so many Nuevo 
Mexicanos, I introduced the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance 
Act. Congress passed and President Biden signed into law this 
legislation and $3.95 billion in relief to rightfully compensate the 
fire's survivors and help them recover. Uniting to work toward a common 
goal is what America represents. Help is finally here. The hardworking 
people in New Mexico and across the country have shown us what true 
community looks like. Janna is one of those community heroes. I thank 
her for her selflessness and dedication to service.

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