Payout to FEMA Claims Director Sparks Outrage in Northern NM 

---

3.6.26 – We revisit a bombshell story that first aired in February, reported in collaboration with Source New Mexico journalist Patrick Lohmann and In Focus reporter Cailley Chella. The duo broke the story that Jay Mitchell, the director of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon FEMA claims office, received a huge payout for smoke damage at his outlying Angel Fire Home. That news sparked outrage in that community, where many are still waiting for federal financial relief. In an update to this ongoing story: Mitchell has been put on administrative and has been replaced by longtime department official Nancy Casper as interim director. Also, new reporting from Lohmann shows that Casper instructed her staff not to approve payments until the partial shutdown of the federal government ends and funding returns to the Department of Homeland Security. 

Reporter:  Cailley Chella  

Correspondent:  Patrick Lohmann  

Guests:  
Jacqueline Ortiz, Fire Victim  
Mike Salazar, Fire Victim   
Lorenza Ortiz, Fire Victim   
Jay Mitchell, Director, Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon FEMA Office   
Lisa Mitchell, Wife of Jay Mitchell   
Michael Martinez, Jay Mitchell’s Neighbor   
Yolanda Cruz, Community Advocate and Fire Victim   
Sara Jo Mathews, Owner, Borracho’s Craft Booze and Brews   
Anita Vigil, Fire Victim   
Andrew Vigil, Fire Victim   
Laura Silva, Community Advocate and Fire Victim 

For More Information: 

New interim director of wildfire claims office arrives in NM as FEMA funding lapses – Source New Mexico