With 16,000 acres of the reservation burned by the Las Conchas Fire, Santa Clara Pueblo in northern New Mexico is preparing to deal with another threat.

Heavy rains are expected this weekend. So the tribe has been busy filing sandbags to protect homes, roads and property on the reservation.

"The fire was horrible, and now we have this secondary tragedy in the making," council member Alvin Warren told The Santa Fe New Mexican. "But we are doing something about it. We're not just going to sit here. We are marshaling every resource we can to protect ourselves."

The Las Conchas Fire started off the reservation and has burned 80 percent of the tribe's forest lands. Much of the area had already been damaged by the Cerro Grande Fire of 2000.

"This is something that is going to impact our community for a very, very, very long time," Gov. Walter Dasheno told the paper.

Get the Story:
Santa Clara Pueblo's next worry: Flooding in weekend forecast (The Santa Fe New Mexican 7/8)

Related Stories:
Outside: Interview with Santa Clara Pueblo Lieutenant Governor (7/6)
Santa Clara Pueblo declares emergency as fire slams reservation (7/1)
Cochiti Pueblo prepares evacuation plan due to threat from fire (6/28)
Wildfire poses threat to Cochiti Pueblo in northern New Mexico (6/27)