The extreme flooding that hit the Colorado Front Range in the second week of September left a devastating path of destruction in its wake. Entire roads washed off the map, whole communities destroyed and at least eight are confirmed dead. Now, as the national news cameras move away, the messy process of cleanup and repair begins. Federal funding should be made available as rapidly as possible in order to lessen the destructive after-effects of the floods.
An estimated 18,000 residential structures were damaged or destroyed; in Boulder County alone, 100 miles of road and 35 bridges were swept away. President Obama has declared Adams, Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties federal disaster areas which will help expedite funding.
Federal disaster relief funding is available to Coloradans in those four counties affected by the flooding. Disaster relief officials are urging homeowners and businesses affected by flooding to register for assistance as soon as possible, since it is complex and lengthy process to acquire the needed resources to rebuild.
What type of funding is available? By registering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), flood victims may qualify for funds to help pay for lost personal property, emergency expenses, necessary rental expenses for an interim period, lost wages due to unemployment for those who do not qualify for benefits from the state and serious needs not covered by their own insurance.
This assistance comes in the form of grants and low interest loans, which serve to supplement insurance policies, or in some cases may be the only help residents get. The jury is still out as to how much aid will be available to Coloradans. In May 1999, the last time Colorado needed federal flood disaster assistance, about $7.2 million was provided according to FEMA data. Grants are limited to a maximum value of $31,900. While this may sound like a lot, many frantic flood victims have been calling their insurance companies only to find that their policies did not cover flooding. Still other insurers won’t pay out any claims until the property can be assessed, even if the property may be unreachable for weeks or months.
This process needs to be streamlined so that all of the players – the homeowners, FEMA and insurance companies – work together to ensure a return to normalcy as soon as possible.
Overly complex bureaucratic webs should be avoided wherever they exist so that necessary funding finds its way to those who need it quickly. Every day of lost time and productivity is a drain not only on the individual, but on the state’s economy as a whole.
After last year’s Hurricane Sandy left much of New Jersey and New York in ruin, a $50 billion relief package was agreed on by Congress to provide disaster relief to affected victims and speed this aid to devastated communities. While the flooding here is not comparable to Hurricane Sandy and such a large package is not needed to fix an estimated $100-$150 million in repairs, Colorado needs to be put on the fast track to receiving necessary funding to get back on its feet as soon as possible.
