On Saturday, Oct. 31, Gov. Jared Polis formally requested an expedited major disaster declaration (MDD) from President Donald Trump through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support recovery from recent flooding and debris flows in Southwestern Colorado.
The request seeks FEMA Public Assistance (PA) and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding for Archuleta and Rio Grande counties following severe storms that occurred from Oct. 22-25.
If approved, the declaration would provide federal assistance to help repair damaged infrastructure and reduce future flood risks.
“Devastating flooding has damaged homes and businesses, washed away roads and disrupted the basic services Southwestern Colorado families depend on. Colorado has deployed rescue teams, delivered supplies, quickly restored use of roads and committed state funding to help communities respond and recover. The damage documented so far exceeds what state and local resources can address alone. I am asking President Trump to swiftly approve this request to help restore essential services, rebuild damaged infrastructure, and support these communities on their road to recovery,” said Polis in a press release.
In an interview with The SUN, Polis specifically noted the funding could help with things like County Road 500 (Trujillo Road), some water treatment centers and some dams.
“We’ve inventoried the damage, we’ve checked the boxes, and we are confident that this meets all the criteria for a federal disaster declaration,” Polis told The SUN.
“Due to the magnitude of the damages, the state made this request on an expedited basis to receive support as quickly as possible,” the release notes. “The State will continue the joint damage assessments with FEMA and local governments in additional impacted counties and will add those to the request as those damages are identified.”
On Oct. 22, Polis declared a disaster emergency for Alamosa, Archuleta, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Ouray, Rio Grande, San Juan and San Miguel counties. On Oct. 23, it was amended to include Conejos County.
The declarations activated the State Emergency Operations Plan, authorized emergency spending and purchasing and authorized Colorado National Guard support for flood response, evacuations and search and rescue.
Colorado mobilized nearly 100 National Guard members with aviation and ground resources, deployed incident management teams and state field personnel, and delivered food, water and supplies, the press release notes. State agencies worked alongside local officials, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, and community organizations to reach stranded residents, support evacuations and sheltering, and restore access to areas cut off by the flooding.
Joint damage assessments conducted by state, federal and local officials have already identified $26.989 million in PA-eligible costs across Archuleta and Rio Grande counties.
This preliminary estimate reflects only sites that assessment teams could safely inspect during the initial assessment period, the press release notes. Approximately 100 homes in Archuleta County remained inaccessible as of Oct. 29, meaning that additional damage and costs estimates will be documented as access in the area improves.
State, federal and local officials are continuing the work to identify damages in the other impacted counties.
Polis indicated during the Oct. 31 interview it was expected additional damage would be documented and that the next round of rain would cause more damage, but that the request can be amended with additional damage.
The press release notes FEMA, the state and local partners will continue to conduct assessments for additional PA and HMGP funding. Joint damage assessments will also include assessments of damages to individuals’ properties and homes to determine what federal assistance can be made available for families, homeowners and businesses.
The initial assessments identified approximately $10.6 million in damage to local roads, bridges and culverts; $2.44 million in damage to public utilities; and $8.59 million in damage to parks and recreation facilities. Emergency protective measures account for another $4.16 million, with additional costs identified for water control facilities, public buildings and debris removal.
The MDD request seeks:
• PS, Categories A-G: This includes support for eligible recovery efforts that threaten essential public infrastructure. Eligible support includes debris removal, emergency protective measures, and repairs to roads, bridges, water control facilities, public buildings, utilities, parks and other public facilities.
• HMGP funding for affected jurisdictions: This includes support for efforts to reduce future flood and debris-flow damage, including larger culverts, riverband stabilization and infrastructure improvements.
Rather than waiting for every damaged site to become accessible, Colorado submitting the request on an expedited basis so that federal resources can arrive sooner.
“The catastrophic damage from this disaster has had widespread impacts on community members and local, state and tribal infrastructure. This request will help to rebuild this infrastructure, and speed up the recovery process,” said Trevor Denney, Director of the Colorado Office of Emergency Management, via the press release.
In addition to the response resources, Colorado has also committed state resources to emergency repairs in the region. On Oct. 26, the Transportation Commission approved $5 million in contingency funds for the initial transportation response (see related article).
The MDD request is awaiting federal approval. Residents are encouraged to document damage and submit reports through county damage-reporting systems. Further information on the status of the state’s request, and updates to any request for Individual Assistance, will be shared as soon as they become available.
“With any normal president, these things move pretty quickly, but it’s been a bit of a mystery box with this president,”Polis told The SUN, noting Trump did grant Colorado’s declaration for the Aspen Acres Fire. “We feel very strong about this meeting the criteria and we’re looking forward to working with our congressional delegation and hopefully the president will approve this in the near future.”
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, whose lands were also impacted by severe flooding, will pursue FEMA assistance independently from Colorado’s request. Colorado has worked closely with tribal leadership throughout the flood response and recovery planning and supports the tribe’s chosen path to securing federal assistance.
randi@pagosasun.com
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