It’s good to know that when it needs to, our federal government can act quickly.
Early this morning the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Colorado to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires and straight-line winds beginning on Dec. 30, 2021 and continuing in Boulder County. The unprecedented wildfire driven by winds topping 100 miles per hour swallowed 6,200 acres of suburban homes and businesses in a matter of hours.
The president’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Boulder County. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Federal funding is also available to state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in Boulder County.
Emergency protective measures, including any direct federal assistance through FEMA’s Public Assistance program, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.
Nancy S. Casper has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments.
Colorado’s Senators, Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper both issued statements on Friday after Governor Jared Polis requested federal aid, and prior to the official FEMA aid grant:
“This morning, thousands of Colorado families woke up unable or unsure if they will be able to return home,” wrote Hickenlooper. “The Marshall Fire is horrible and devastating. Our thoughts are with Boulder County, especially the evacuees. We owe immense gratitude to our first responders — their heroism saved countless lives.
“We have been in touch with local, state, and federal officials and have pledged every resource possible to assist with recovery,” Hickenlooper’s statement continued. “FEMA has already activated federal firefighting assistance and President Biden committed to quickly approving a Major Disaster Declaration, which means even more help is on the way. This catastrophe is incredibly painful, but together we’ll get through this and build back stronger.”
Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the following statement on the Marshall Fire after taking an aerial and ground tour of affected Colorado communities:
“First, I want to thank Sheriff Pelle and all the first responders, who have done an unbelievable job evacuating our communities to safety and responding to these fires. I also want to thank President Biden for his swift commitment to helping Colorado respond to and recover from these fires. I am committed to doing everything I can to bring the full measure of the federal response to bear. ”
“In Colorado, we are not unfamiliar with natural disasters that tear through our communities and disrupt our everyday lives. In every case, we have come together to build back stronger than before, and I am absolutely certain that will be the case again,” Bennet added.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621- 3362. Those who use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, are asked to give FEMA the number for that service.
Featured photo: an aerial view of the Sagamore Subdivision entirely consumed by fire. Courtesy Colorado Governor’s Office.
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