FEMA denies individual and hazard mitigation assistance to Coloradans affected by Aspen Acres, Gold Mountain Fires
Although FEMA has approved some assistance for Colorado's major disaster request, it has opted not to include portions of the request for individual assistance and the hazard mitigation grant program.
The Aspen Acres Fire burned more than 100,000 acres in Pueblo and Custer Counties over the summer, destroying more than 300 homes and hundreds of other structures. Rainfall in the burn scar area has caused flash floods and mudslides that washed out roads and cut off communities. The fire and resulting floods resulted in millions of dollars in damages to homes and infrastructure.
In Ouray County, the Gold Mountain Fire burned just over 39,500 acres, damaging homes and infrastructure and disrupting the region's tourism economy during its peak season. Subsequent flooding also damaged homes in the area.
In August, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis requested a major disaster declaration to support those affected by the fires. A bipartisan group of Colorado legislators, local officials, first responders, utilities, businesses and other organizations joined in supporting the request for federal assistance to help the communities rebuild.
The governor's office said FEMA approved part of the disaster declaration request, but has denied others. The approved Public Assistance program will help with the repair of critical infrastructure and debris cleanup on public and private property.
However, FEMA denied requests for Individual Assistance and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
Individual assistance is designed to help with many things, including:
- Temporary housing
- Home repairs
- Essential personal property
- Crisis counseling
- Disaster case management
- Disaster unemployment assistance
- Disaster legal services
Hazard mitigation grants provide funds to protect vulnerable communities and help prevent losses from disasters before they happen. Those could include efforts in flood prevention, stormwater system upgrades and wildfire mitigation.
"The recent approval of Colorado's Major Disaster Declaration request was the important first step to clear debris and allow communities to begin the process to recover. I am disappointed that Colorado was denied these additional portions of our request that would have further supported impacted families and communities. However, the state is already hard at work coordinating debris cleanup with local governments. The state is evaluating Colorado's options and next steps following the denial of these additional resources," said Polis.
Colorado has 30 days to appeal the denial. On Saturday, Sen. John Hickenlooper asked the Trump Administration to reconsider its decision.
"The Trump administration should reverse this decision," said Hickenlooper. "Requests for individual assistance and hazard mitigation grants are not made frivolously. These resources are what's needed to help Colorado families and communities recover and prevent future tragedies. We will continue standing with those impacted by these horrific fires and do everything we can to support them in their hour of need."
CBS Colorado reached out to FEMA for comment but had not yet received a response by the time this story was published. That information will be provided once it is received.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration approved $90 million in public assistance and hazard mitigation funds through FEMA for the Boulder and Colorado Springs areas.
