State's Chief Officer Gives Status Of Flooding Recovery
DENVER (CBS4) – Tuesday marked 6 months since the devastating flooding hit parts of Colorado and a lot of areas will never be the same. Chief Recovery Officer Molly Urbina stopped by CBS4 studios to talk about the continuing recovery effort.
"During the first part of the short-term recovery (the Colorado Department of Transportation) came to the table and really did reopen a lot of the roads on a temporary basis before the Dec. 1 deadline and before the winter hit," Urbina said. "So that was very helpful to make sure people can get back to their communities and get connected again."
Every major route has been now been reopened, even though some still need a lot of work.
"They are open on a temporary basis, but those roads do need permanent fixes, so you'll see continued work on these all the way through 2014," Urbina said.
Urbina said there were approximately 1,800 homes that were lost in the flooding.
"We're currently working with HUD on a community development block grant that has been allocated to Colorado for $62.8 million, and that really has a focus on housing, economic development and infrastructure," she said. "Those dollars will go back to the communities to rebuild the homes … we have an action plan into the HUD for review and approval. So those funds will start flowing."
For residents who lost their homes and now don't have stable ground to rebuild, Urbina said they will remain in temporary housing. It depends on if their home would be on a flood plain on whether or not they can rebuild in the same location. She said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is working with state-run coalitions and communities to find where new homes could be built.
Urbina said that doesn't mean those residents can get a land swap and it will be a much more complicated process.
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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