DENVER – In the four weeks since President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the Marshall Fire and straight-line winds in Colorado, federal agencies have provided more than $61.8 million in grants and loans to assist in recovery as of January 27, 2022.
To date, a total of 2,825 people in Boulder County have applied with FEMA for assistance. FEMA has approved $857,168.28 through the Individuals and Households program, consisting of $709,328.14 in Housing Assistance for home repairs and rental expenses, and $147,840.14 in Other Needs Assistance for repair or replacement of personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, moving expenses and other disaster-related needs.
In addition, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved $60,996,800 in low interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, and businesses.
BOULDER COUNTY COMMUNITY MEMBERS AFFECTED BY THE DISASTER CAN STILL APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE OR CHECK ON THE STATUS OF THEIR APPLICATION IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:
▪ Going on-line to DisasterAssistance.gov.
▪ Calling 800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available. The toll-free number is open every day from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. MST. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.
▪ Visiting the Disaster Recovery Center at 1755 S. Public Road, Lafayette, Colorado. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST Monday through Saturday (closed Sundays).
▪ Downloading the FEMA mobile app for smartphones.
The application deadline is Tuesday, March 2, 2022.
STAY IN TOUCH WITH FEMA
Homeowners and renters who applied for FEMA disaster assistance are encouraged to notify FEMA of changes to their mailing address, phone number, email address, and if they discover additional damage or receive an insurance settlement. Updating contact information ensures that FEMA can reach you to ask questions or provide new information. Missing or wrong information in your application could result in delays in receiving assistance.
It’s important to stay in touch with FEMA regarding any new information on your insurance claim. FEMA cannot complete your application until a copy of the insurance settlement is in your file. Once you receive the information from your agent, be sure to provide a copy to FEMA.
FEMA Public Assistance
FEMA’s Public Assistance Program (PA) is a grant program which provides funding for rebuilding necessary infrastructure to state and local governments and certain types of private nonprofit organizations following a presidential disaster declaration. Assistance is available for debris removal and emergency protective measures taken to promote public safety. The federal cost share for eligible work is no less that 75 percent. The state is conducting informational briefings for potential applicants on how to apply for this assistance.
So far, 12 Requests for Public Assistance (RPA) have been submitted to FEMA. Of those, 8 have been approved and 4 are pending State or FEMA review.
The deadline for the Request for Public Assistance (RPA) is January 30, 2022. For more information, visit https://mars.colorado.gov/news-article/jan-30-deadline-public-assistanc….
Mitigation Community Education & Outreach
FEMA’s Mitigation Community Education & Outreach team provides mitigation advice to community members affected by the Marshall Fire and straight-line wind event. Topics include home repair, ignition resistant construction, wind resistant construction, putting together supply kits, and hiring a contractor. Mitigation specialists are located at the Disaster Recovery Center in Lafayette and also will be visiting local home improvement stores.
In addition to in-person help, a FEMA Mitigation Helpline and email address are available for community members to receive mitigation advice.
▪ Hotline number: 833-FEMA-4-US (833-336-2487), open Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. MST.
▪ Email: fema-r8-hmhelp@fema.dhs.gov.
From Thursday, Jan. 27 through Tuesday, Feb. 1 the Mitigation team will be at Home Depot located at 1600 29th St., Boulder, Colorado. 2525 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, Colorado.
In the coming weeks, outreach will continue at additional local home improvement stores, below:
▪ Thursday, Feb. 3 – Tuesday, Feb. 8: Lowe’s, 1171 Dillon Rd, Louisville, Colorado
▪ Thursday, Feb. 10 – Tuesday, Feb. 15: Home Depot, 393 S Hover Rd, Longmont, Colorado
▪ Thursday, Feb. 17 – Tuesday, Feb. 22: Lowe’s, 355 Ken Pratt Blvd, Longmont, Colorado
▪ Thursday, Feb. 25 – Tuesday, March 1: Ace Hardware, 1727 Main St, Longmont, Colorado.
Additional Aid for Individuals
Disaster Unemployment Assistance: In Boulder County, the last day to file claims with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment is Wednesday, February 2. To learn more and start a claim, visit https://cdle.colorado.gov/unemployment/disaster-unemployment-assistance.
Disaster Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP): The Colorado Department of Human Services and Boulder County Health and Human Services have activated the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). D-SNAP can provide emergency SNAP benefits for eligible low- to moderate-income households who do not normally receive SNAP assistance and replacement funds for SNAP benefits used for food destroyed in the fire or lost due to related power outages. Households in the following ZIP codes may be eligible for D-SNAP: 80303, 80021, 80026, 80027 and 80020.
More information is available at https://cdhs.colorado.gov/DSNAP-Boulder, by visiting the Boulder County Health and Human Services office at 515 Coffman St, or by calling (303) 441-1000. The deadline to apply is February 1.
By the Numbers
▪ 2,424 cumulative survivor interactions have taken place at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center.
▪ A total of 592 FEMA housing inspections have been completed.
▪ FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams visited 3,460 homes and businesses and have so far interacted with 2,387 survivors.
▪ FEMA Mitigation Specialists have provided rebuilding and repair advice to 668 survivors through their outreach at local home improvement stores and at the Disaster Recovery Center.
More Information:
For more information about Marshall Fire and straight-line winds recovery in Boulder County, visit the FEMA disaster webpage at https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4634, the Colorado Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management webpage at https://dhsem.colorado.gov/ or the Boulder County webpage at https://www.bouldercounty.org/disasters/wildfires/marshall/. For the Small Business Administration information, visit https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/.