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Boulder Trying To Help Flood Victims Rebuild Faster

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- Both the City and County of Boulder are trying to make it easier on flood victims to rebuild and get their recovery effort underway.

Some of those are free building permits and free curb-side pickup in the city scheduled to begin early next week.

That's only the beginning of the help that Boulder is making available to those flood victims. There are two Disaster Relief Centers in Boulder County.

More than 500 people have come to just one of those locations for assistance since Wednesday. They came desperate for help, many of them still in shock at what's happened since last week.

"The water came up the shower, the toilet, the sink and the furnace drain," said flood victim Gloria Kohl.

Kohl is among thousands of flood victims who didn't live in a flood plain and yet her home was flooded. She's a retiree and estimates damages at $100,000.

"Everybody in our neighborhood was without flood insurance," said Kohl.

The City and County of Boulder streamlined permits and has waived fees.

The Red Cross assisted with prescriptions and The Salvation Army gave away gift cards.

There are also volunteers trained in mud removal. Sam Porter traveled with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief to Colorado to help flood victims after his state was struck by deadly tornadoes.

"You all have four times the amount of home damage than what we did in our storms. I mean, the impact is huge. We cannot stay home," said Porter.

Kohl said she appreciates every little bit of help, "I got $25 from the United Way."

One of the biggest needs is temporary housing. FEMA has registered more than 10,000 people statewide and approved more than $4 million in aid.

In Boulder County it's not just about affordability but availability. The vacancy rate is one percent.

The county is working to help find people housing in the surrounding communities. The disaster relief centers are expected to be open for the next several weeks.

Colorado Floods: How To Help

The recent floods are impacting families and communities throughout Colorado, so CBS4 has compiled a list of ways you can support the local communities impacted by the floods.

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