BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — As victims of the Marshall Fire continue to walk through the rebuilding process, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced how much relief money has gone to families.
FEMA has revealed that nearly $70 million in federal funding has been distributed to the victims of the disaster that claimed nearly 1,000 structures.
While that is generally good news, some city leaders and groups working with victims say it is not nearly enough for those who lost everything in the fire. This FEMA funding has been made available to get families back on their feet.
“$936,000 through the Individual and Household program. It breaks down to $750,000 in housing assistance, home repairs, rental expenses,” explained Tony Mayne, FEMA’s Region 8 Media Specialist. “Then $179,000 in other needs: repair/replacement of personal property, vehicle repair and replacement, moving expenses, and other needs.”
Another $68 million is en route and intended to fund low-interest disaster loans, which leaders say is heavily needed.
“We absolutely need system-wide changes that are going to transform the country and we need help from the federal government,” Louisville Mayor Ashley Stolzmann said. “That’s why I want to speak today to thank Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper for supporting the Build Back Better Act,” the mayor concluded.
Although Colorado senators are on board with the bill that, if passed, would allocate millions for climate investment, other senators in Congress are causing the bill to stall.
“We may have to break this out and let it be a stand-alone and have the senate vote on it separate from the larger picture,” suggested Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, before saying, “I hate to do that and hate to see it happen because we know how Congress works, but that might be the best pathway forward — and probably the most expedient pathway for it, as well — at this time.”
A community-led call for more
While leaders look to funding for the future, community groups like the Boulder Fire and Surrounding Area Victims Distribution Facebook page are helping to replace things federal aid may not cover.
“The contents of a house, multiplied by 3,000, right? And that is a massive amount of money that just isn’t there right now,” group administrator Meryl Suissa said.
The group collects emails from people in the community who need items and then creates Amazon wishlists where people can contribute to buying items for families.
“The whole list we got just last night for our families totals over 300,000 in goods. These are things we were unable to get in donation form or from big companies. Although we reached out, we need a community response. We need companies to help us take some of this,” Suissa said.
The group admin said dozens of families still need help replacing items that they, simply put, cannot afford to rebuy or replace.