Tornadoes, flooding, landslides, mudslides and severe storms hit 15 Colorado counties in late Spring this year. Now the Federal Emergency Management Agency says it will allocate $1.7 million in federal funding to help 15 Colorado counties repair and replace public facilities.
On July 16, President Obama declared a major disaster in Baca, Elbert, El Paso, Fremont, Logan, Morgan, Pueblo, Saguache, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma. On Aug. 12, Adams, Boulder, Park and Denver counties were added to the declaration.
“We are moving as quickly as we can to get assistance out to affected communities,” said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Dolph Diemont. “And we will continue to work closely with state and local officials to repair storm and flood-damaged public facilities.”
Public Assistance funds are available to state and local governments and certain private non-profits to respond to and recover from disasters. PA funds may be used to reimburse costs for emergency actions taken during and immediately after a disaster to protect life and property, to conduct debris removal, and to restore disaster-damaged infrastructure. FEMA provides 75 percent of the costs of eligible PA projects, with the state providing the remaining 25 percent.