Update: The following article has been updated to include a letter from Colorado's lawmakers.
On Friday, Jan. 16, Gov. Jared Polis submitted appeals to President Donald Trump appealing Trump’s denials of Colorado’s two major disaster declaration requests for flooding in Western Colorado, as well as for the Elk and Lee fires.
On, Nov. 12, 2025, Polis formally requested a major disaster declaration from the president and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support ongoing recovery efforts in La Plata, Archuleta and Mineral counties following the record-breaking western Colorado flooding that occurred Oct. 10-14.
The declaration would unlock FEMA Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding to help communities recover from severe flooding, debris flows, infrastructure damage and long-term watershed impacts.
Trump and FEMA denied Colorado’s requests on Dec. 20, 2025, with the denial letter stating, “Based on our review of all of the information available, it has been determined that supplemental federal assistance under the Stafford Act is not warranted. Therefore, I must inform you that your request for a major disaster declaration is denied.”
The state’s request for funding for the Elk and Lee fires was also denied.
The following day, Polis, along with Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, announced that appeals would be filed soon after the “late Saturday night” denial and called on Trump to reverse the decision.
That appeal was then submitted on Friday, Jan. 16, with the appeals also including new information collected since the initial request.
“We are submitting these appeals to help ensure that the Colorado communities impacted can get the support they deserve to recover more quickly. Whether fires or floods, Coloradans have been deeply impacted by these natural disasters. With this appeal, we hope that the federal government steps in to help Coloradans recover stronger,” said Polis.
Polis’ letter to Trump regarding the flooding, sent through FEMA’s acting regional manager for Region VIII, Katherine Fox, notes, “The State is appealing your denial of the request because the damages from the flooding clearly exceeded FEMA’s indicators for a Major Disaster Declaration.”
It continues, “The Western Colorado Flooding event significantly impacted southwest Colorado. Multiple waves of heavy rainfall hit the Vallecito, Piedra, San Juan River, and South Fork Rio Grande basins over the course of four days, resulting in numerous instances of moderate to major river flooding. Streamflows rose quickly and fluctuated at high levels over the course of the incident period, providing little relief to systems downstream. The intensity and widespread impacts of the floods pulled significant resources from local and state partners. This was compounded by other ongoing emergency incidents that required regional and state resources to be dedicated concurrently. I authorized $6 million by Executive Order to help with response, consequence management, mitigation, and recovery efforts.”
The letter further discusses that the floods “caused consequential damage to the infrastructure of counties, municipalities, and special districts, as well as to valuable natural resources. Individuals, households, and businesses that rely on the landscape and infrastructure that existed pre-disaster were immediately impacted and still face impacts today. After conducting a series of local and state damage assessments, verified through FEMA’s Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment, this incident caused $13,820,036 in damage to roads, culverts, and publicly-owned infrastructure, and high costs for debris removal.”
In Archuleta County, it states, “the per capita indicator equates to more than $995 per person to repair damages to roads and other county infrastructure. The total annual road repair and maintenance budget for the County falls vastly short at approximately $7,000,000, when total costs exceed $13,292,000.”
The letter later notes the flooding “highlighted a significant financial challenge regarding road repairs in Archuleta County. The impacted infrastructure in this area is very remote, which increases the cost of repairing and rebuilding the roads to pre-disaster condition. The cost to make the needed repairs is well above the average cost of repairing roads because of additional expenses associated with transporting materials long distances. The damage is especially financially burdensome because the County does not have access to gravel pits nearby to support repairs. As repairs have begun, the actual costs match the high estimated costs listed in the State’s initial request.”
It continues, “In order to minimize costs, Public Assistance funds will be sought to establish a local gravel pit to assist with repairs.”
It further notes the gravel pit would reduce recovery costs, as well as providing a long-lasting benefit to the community.
“This will be a great opportunity to immediately bring costs down, and the savings will continue well after disaster repairs have been completed,” it states. “A breakdown of costs associated with remote road repair is outlined in the State’s initial request.”
The letter further notes the impacted roads overlap with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s reservation boundary and also serve a number of tribal members.
The letter then discusses the flood impacts on the San Juan River and notes the river’s role as a “substantial economic driver” and potential impacts of not repairing the river.
“Seven parks were damaged by large amounts of debris and sediment covering river walkways,” it states. “Many public trails, which support the local tourism economy, were damaged and destroyed. In the Town of Pagosa Springs, several large rocks in the river were moved or damaged, creating hazards for anglers, recreational boaters, tubers, and swimmers. In addition, the fish habitat was destroyed. If the river is not repaired, there will be a substantial negative impact on visitation, the local economy, and local tax revenue, further hampering recovery efforts. Wetlands were also flooded, and a large amount of sediment was deposited, which raised the flood plain, putting additional homes at risk for future flooding. In other areas, the flood caused shallow waters that now threaten wildlife habitats.”
It further notes that leaving the riverways in their current states would have “significant ramifications” and that public assistance funds would provide the support needed to find solutions for rebuilding and reducing impacts ahead of additional rainstorms or spring runoff.
“This region needs significant help to protect its communities from risk and put mitigation measures in place to ensure it can withstand future storms,” it states.
The letter then discusses Vallecito Reservoir in La Plata County and the state’s support.
“In summary, the impact of the Western Colorado Flooding event reached a local, regional, and statewide level,” the letter concludes. “The additional information provided in this appeal builds upon the State’s initial request for assistance. The State plans to keep communication lines open with entities impacted by the flooding to continue to understand evolving issues and ensure local partners are receiving the support they need. The remoteness of damage, widespread river impacts, and the potential for increased impacts from future hazards create a complex situation in southwest Colorado. FEMA Public Assistance is necessary to support these communities, mitigate future losses, and help these communities recover.”
Town and county letters
The Town of Pagosa Springs and Archuleta County also addressed letters to Trump in support of the appeal.
Those letters, signed by the commissioners and Mayor Shari Pierce, are largely the same and discuss the scope of the damage that occurred in the three southwest Colorado counties, “impacting our public infrastructure and utilities as well as important resources for our local economies.”
The letters continue, “Flood waters and debris have washed out roads, bridges, and water management systems, damaged a local reservoir, and severely damaged multiple sewer systems. The extent of the damage is considerable and the cost to repair a wide range of public infrastructure is significant; our rural southwestern Colorado communities don’t have the financial capacity to cover the costs incurred by responding to the emergency as well as recovering from it.”
The letters also discuss the damage to the local economy, with washed-out and damaged roads, bridges and culverts making travel to, from and within the region more difficult.
“Outdoor recreation is also a major part of our economy, and people travel from long distances to enjoy hunting, fishing, boating, and other water sports in our area. The floods significantly damaged rivers, streams and other waterways that are the core of our outdoor recreation industry, and repairs will be key to our recovery both physically and economically,” the letters add.
The letters then state that the most critical need for federal funding isn’t just repairing roads or removing debris, but that the large amount of water redirected channels and washed out berms, leaving the streams very susceptible to repeated overflows in the future.
“Without federal assistance to proactively fix the rivers and control the channels, we will see recurring floods every year and resulting damage to the surrounding communities, businesses, and local economy,” they state.
Both letters note the rural communities are “struggling to recover, rebuild, and take action to prevent further destructive flooding without federal aid. We respectfully ask you to approve the state’s major disaster declaration request, to help us rebuild and protect our constituents, our small businesses, and our rural economy.”
Lawmakers send letter
On Wednesday afternoon, Bennet's office announced that Bennet led his colleagues — Colorado U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and Colorado U.S. Reps. Jeff Hurd, Jeff Crank, Jason Crow, Lauren Boebert, Joe Neguse, Gabe Evans, Brittany Pettersen and Diana DeGette — in support of Polis’ appeal to Trump’s decision to deny major disaster declarations for the Lee and Elk fires in August 2025 and the Southwest Colorado flooding in October 2025.
“The State’s appeal underscores a critical and urgent reality: without federal assistance to stabilize river channels and repair damaged infrastructure, these communities face a cycle of repeated flooding and recurring losses. Failure to address the underlying damage now will virtually guarantee continued destruction during future high-water events, increasing costs to taxpayers while placing residents, businesses, and local economies at ongoing risk. Federal assistance at this stage is not only necessary for recovery, it is essential to prevent foreseeable and preventable damage from disasters in the years ahead,” wrote the lawmakers.
In their letter, the lawmakers emphasize that both the fires and flooding meet the statutory and practical criteria for a major disaster declaration as well as FEMA’s administrative and legal threshold for federal assistance.
“We respectfully urge you to reconsider your initial denials and approve Governor Polis’s appeals for Major Disaster Declarations for the Lee and Elk Fires and the Southwest Colorado flooding. Doing so will help protect communities, reduce future federal and local costs, and ensure that rural Coloradans are not left to shoulder the financial burden of disaster recovery alone,” conclude the lawmakers.
Elk and Lee fires
The Lee Fire was a record-setting event in Colorado. It grew to become the fourth-largest fire in the state’s history, reaching more than 137,000 acres. Concurrently, the Elk Fire ramped up a few miles away, reaching nearly 15,000 acres.
The fires burned through complex and rugged topography, together burning over 237 square miles, larger than the city of Chicago.
The size, intensity and close proximity of these fires pulled significant resources from local and state partners, the state notes. As shown by conducting a series of local and state damage assessments, and verified through FEMA’s Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment, this incident caused $27,491,064 in damage.
Editor’s note: For transparency, Randi Pierce is related to Shari Pierce.
randi@pagosasun.com
>