Preparing for Rain Storms JEMEZ SPRINGS, NM (June 17, 2013) – The recent Thompson Ridge Fire that burned on the Valles Caldera National Preserve, Forest Service, and private lands, changed the watersheds within the burned area. The wildfire increased the potential for flash flooding and mudflows that could impact several communities, homes, roads, and other infrastructures adjacent to and downstream from the burned area. Although flooding can be a frequent occurrence after a wildfire, the extent of the effects of the Thompson Ridge Fire on the watersheds need to be determined and analyzed. A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team is working with the Valles Caldera National Preserve (www.vallescaldera.gov/) and the Forest Service to assess the condition of the watersheds that were burned in the Thompson Ridge wildfire. The BAER assessment team identifies potential emergency threats to critical values-at-risk, and recommends emergency stabilization response actions that are...