Putting Northern Colorado Back on Its Feet

The rugged, wild nature of Colorado is why most of us love living here, but it’s not without its risks as the wild fires of 2012 and the flooding now underway make abundantly clear.

Relief operations are underway concurrently with recovery efforts in places where it is safe and the water has receded. We’ve already been contacted by the Federal Emergency Management Administration and a representative from the Small Business Administration just left my office a few minutes ago. The United Way, Red Cross, Community Foundation and many other organizations and individuals have mobilized resources.

One of the big challenges immediately in front of us is repairing and rebuilding the transportation infrastructure. It will take years and tens of millions of dollars to put it all back together again. The chambers of commerce in our area are coordinating to make the case with area legislators and the Joint Budget Committee to release funds from the state’s General Fund Reserve and other sources to help our communities recover from this disaster.

Here are some sources of information that might be useful to you:

• Federal Aid Programs for Colorado Flood Recovery
• Colorado State University Flood Recovery Resources
• Larimer County United Way Relief and Recovery Resources
• Help others through Help Colorado Now
• To get your small business back on its feet, you can find information from the Small Business Administration here.
• For our friends in the Loveland area, a Northern Colorado 2013 Disaster Assistance Center has been set up in the RMCIT (old HP facility) at 815 14th SW. The location will house the Assistance Center (B Bldg.) to provide services for those affected by the flood and the Donation / Distribution center (D Bldg. lower level) for those wanting to donate items for those affected by the flood. A full list of items is being compiled, but for now they need water, non-perishable food items, toiletries, clothes, diapers, etc.

Help your neighbors as you can and let us know if you need help. My number is 970 482-3751 x 102.