Residents stranded in their homes

LAGUNA, N.M. (KRQE) - "It's a crisis situation out here," explained Michel Lecavalier. He lives off a road that's flooded with mud.

He says the conditions due to the winter weather make driving in and out of his home impossible.

Lecavalier has had to walk miles to get to a car he parked outside of town just to get to work each day, and he says some of his neighbors aren't as lucky.

"I always get scared when I know I can't leave home," said Kim Roberds who lives on the same street. "The fear builds up the longer that I'm there because I have a baby at home, and what happens if he gets sick or something and I can't get out."

Neighbors say they haven't had garbage service in weeks.

They're unable to feed their livestock because they can't pull out the trailers to give them hay, and that's not even the scariest part. Lecavalier says he's been told firefighters and ambulances won't risk driving in the area because they're afraid of getting stuck. Leaving the Valencia County community of nearly 100 literally stuck in the mud.

"I'm supposed to have a propane delivery this week," said Roberds. "What happens if the propane truck can't get through? That's my only source of heat."

She also says some of her neighbors have lost their jobs because they can't did out long enough to make it to work.

The Valencia County manager says they have been dealing with this problem for years. He said when the subdivision was created, there weren't any standards for building roads and the are sub-par for the conditions.

The county manager also said county workers are not allowed to work on the community's private roads because that would violate the state's anti-donation clause. They do try to grade the roads once in awhile as a courtesy, but things have been so messy this year the spokesperson says they have not been able to get to it so far.

Residents in the area are hoping something can be done. They're even looking for volunteers to come plow the roads, just so they can get some of the elderly residents out and help them get much needed medications.