From fire to flooding to haboobs, New Mexico has been reeling in recent weeks from the force of nature. It is another reminder of how fragile this state and its residents are in a time of extreme weather and higher temperatures.

Wildfires hit the Ruidoso area this year, with residents still digging out from under. Two years ago Northern New Mexico burned, and today residents are still struggling to regain control of their lives. Natural catastrophes are increasing, which means our preparation must improve.

When disasters happen, the Federal Emergency Management Agency comes in ready to help — which, unfortunately, often takes too long. Residents trying to recover from the 2022 Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire know the pain of trying to document losses. Amid devastating loss, the paperwork and red tape can prove overwhelming.

Greater attention has to be focused on preventing or mitigating disasters. That means federal, state and local dollars invested in projects that will reduce damage when inevitable disasters occur. Here are a few examples.

Already in Santa Fe, city and county fire experts are talking with homeowners about how they can protect their homes from risk of fire. Everything from creating defensible space to trimming dead brush to moving wood piles away from structures — the basics of making your home safer, especially as more people live in the urban wildland areas where a fire in the forest can quickly spread to houses.

Those efforts should be increased, with greater attention focused on continued building in risky areas. We’ve seen it for years in areas prone to hurricanes. A storm pushes through, destroys homes. Emergency funds are spent to rebuild them, and a few years later, another hurricane blasts in and the new homes come crashing down.

In areas prone to wildfires, are there places where it no longer is safe to build? What about homes or businesses in flood-prone areas? Can those individuals be helped to relocate to higher ground or less fire-prone locations.

Zoning ordinances — both at the city and county levels — can be used to direct new construction away from dangerous areas. Older homes or businesses might be grandfathered in, but owners can be helped to find different locations if necessary. The key is for each county in New Mexico to improve their maps showing problem areas so work can be directed to mitigate potential disasters.

And while investments are being made, it’s clear infrastructure is failing.

Recent floods in Las Vegas, N.M., brought down the city’s water treatment plant. Heavy rains more than a week ago washed over the burn scars from the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, bringing ash, silt and debris into the Gallinas River. That made river water too polluted to be treated at the city plant, and currently the town lacks enough water for residents.

The town’s annual Fourth of July Fiestas have been canceled, and residents are being asked to conserve water. More rain — and thus flooding — is possible along the Gallinas River and Tecolote Creek. Nonessential businesses are closed, and the town’s economy is reeling. According to city leaders, a more advanced water treatment system to alleviate the crisis is on its way from Canada. But its arrival is a few weeks away.

Once it is up and running and floodwaters recede, city leaders must assess what long-term investments will be necessary to ensure residents have clean drinking water. In a state flush with cash, it’s clear money needs to be spent to upgrade the water treatment plant so it can better handle water laden with ash and soot. Because a debris-laden river is going to be a fact of life; not every day, but frequently enough to stop the plant from working.

And so it goes in our disaster-filled world. Ruidoso residents pick through the ruins of the fire. Las Vegas residents line up for water. Over by Medanales, heavy rains apparently changed the course of the Chama River, affecting dozens of people. Eventually, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have to clear silt and attempt to move the river back to its natural channel. In the meantime, the people who lost all their belongings in the flood need assistance, more victims of nature’s wrath. And more proof that this state must become more climate-resilient, spending now to mitigate the impact of disasters later.