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Fires and Floods of 2012 and 2013 Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery

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This information relates to the fires and floods that occurred in 2013. For disaster recovery resources, including those related to the 2021 Marshall Fire, please follow this link.

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Following the devastating floods of 2013, the State of Colorado received an initial congressional allocation of Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) in the amount of $62.8 million under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013.  Subsequently Colorado received two additional allocations bringing the total Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grant for Colorado to $320,346,000 available to address recovery needs in the areas of housing, infrastructure, economic development and planning in response to the following presidentially-declared disasters:

  • Disaster Recovery 4145: Colorado Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides and Mudslides - September 2013
  • Disaster Recovery 4134: Black Forest Wildfire - June 2013
  • Disaster Recovery 4133: Royal Gorge Wildfire - June 2013
  • Disaster Recovery 4067: High Park and Waldo Canyon Wildfires - June/July 2012

Community Development Block Grants - Disaster Recovery are implemented through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). DOLA is the designated State agency to manage and administer the funds. DOLA’s Division of Local Government is charged with coordinating the effective investment of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds to further Colorado’s recovery for any potential presidentially-declared disaster areas.

DLG acts as the central coordinator in the implementation of multiple disaster recovery programs through our partner agencies which include, but are not limited to, the Division of Housing (DOH), the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM), the Community Resilience Office (CRO), the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), and local governments throughout the state.

Recovery Priorities

Immediately following the 2013 floods, the Governor established a temporary office called the Colorado Recovery Office that was charged with coordinating with federal agencies on disaster recovery and conducting a series of public meetings to assess needs, establish recovery priorities and develop an Action Plan for Housing and Urban Development approval. The Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grant funds are intended to act in concert with other disaster recovery resources and fill gaps in the needs of households, businesses and local governments beyond the traditional recovery programs offered by Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Small Business Administration and other federal programs.  These needs have been periodically reassessed and adjusted based on changing demand and availability of other resources.  Material changes to the Action Plan require a public review process.  The current funding priorities are as follows:

Housing and Urban Development Program Area

Housing

  • Household Assistance (Division of Housing)
  • New Construction (Division of Housing)
  • Boulder County Collaborative Household Assistance (Longmont)
  • Current Total Allocation: $100,692,231.56
  • Percentage: 31.4%

Infrastructure*

  • Infrastructure for Local Governments (Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management)
  • Watershed and Ditch Restoration (Department of Local Government)
  • Boulder County Collaborative Infrastructure (Longmont)
  • Current Total Allocation: $159,706,810.93
  • Percentage: 49.9%

Economic Revitalization

  • Business Grant Program (Office of Economic Development and International Trade)
  • Tourism Marketing (Office of Economic Development and International Trade)
  • Agriculture Business Grants (Colorado Department of Agriculture and DOLA)
  • Current Total Allocation: $19,870,558.83
  • Percentage: 6.2%

Planning

  • Planning and Resilience (Department of Local Government)
  • Watershed Capacity Grants (Department of Local Government)
  • Environmental Reviews (DRU and Department of Local Government)
  • Boulder County Collaborative Planning (Longmont)
  • Current Total Allocation: $24,309,098.68
  • Percentage: 7.6%

Administration

  • Current Total Allocation: $15,767,300.00
  • Percentage: 4.9%

Total

  • Current Total Allocation: $320,346,000.00
  • Percentage: 100%

Grant Status

As of March 31, 2021 the grant was 93% complete with all funds committed.  All economic recovery programs are complete and planning programs are mostly complete. Expenditures are updated quarterly and projections are updated semi-annually. The chart below shows expenditures through the first calendar quarter of 2021.

Accomplishments To Date

High level summary of accomplishments through March 2021

Household Assistance

  • 235 homes rehabilitated or replaced
  • 120 households received rental assistance
  • 35 households received down payment assistance
  • 40 properties received clearance and demolition
  • 85 home access projects (bridge and private road repair) completed

Housing New Construction*

  • 1754 multi-family units created
  • 103 single-family units created

*These units were created using a mix of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery, Low Income Housing Tax Credits and other sources of financing.

Infrastructure

  • 98 projects through Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s program to assist local governments
  • 36 Watershed and Ditch projects through Department of Local Government
  • 30 projects through the Boulder County Collaborative

Economic Development

  • 212 Businesses received business grants to sustain operations
  • 13 Tourism Marketing agencies received grant funding
  • 66 Agriculture Businesses received business assistance

Planning

  • 68 Planning and Capacity grants for local governments through Department of Local Government
  • 23 Watershed capacity grants through Department of Local Government
  • 4 Planning projects through the Boulder County Collaborative

Action Plans and Required Reports

Economic Revitalization

Colorado’s economy was profoundly impacted by the fires and floods of 2012 and 2013. In addition to physical damages, road closures, employee disruption and loss of a customer base had a severe negative impact on our small businesses.  Agriculture businesses additionally suffered crop and livestock loss as well as field damages and loss of equipment.  Tourism, a major economic driver in Colorado, supports many small businesses in the Colorado mountains and along the Front Range.  Those small businesses reliant on tourism tend to hire many service sector employees of low and moderate income that are particularly vulnerable during an economic downturn.

In response to these challenges, the State of Colorado established the Recovery Colorado Business Grant Program for small businesses, received a waiver from Housing and Urban Development to offer Tourism Marketing grants to impacted communities, and established an Agriculture Business Grant program to keep farmers and ranchers in business in our impacted rural communities.  The Business Grant and Tourism Marketing programs were managed by the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and the Agriculture Business Grant program was managed in partnership between the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) and the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA).

  • Agriculture Business Grants
  • Recover Colorado Business Grant Program
  • Tourism Marketing Program

Infrastructure

Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding assists communities, including private non-profit service providers, in rebuilding the vital infrastructure that helps them function and thrive. Funded projects include repairs to flood ravaged waterways, water and wastewater utilities, and roadways. Other activities supporting infrastructure include strategic property acquisitions and helping communities leverage other recovery funding sources. The program also is providing substantial supplemental support to local recovery projects jointly funded by the State of Colorado, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Highway Administration. The Recover Colorado Infrastructure Grant Program can be used with local cost share for Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance, Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs or NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Programs. Funds may also be used to enhance public infrastructure projects beyond Federal Emergency Management Agency eligible costs. The Recover Colorado Infrastructure Grant Program may also be used for Infrastructure projects contributing to the overall recovery of the community, including large scale hazard mitigation and resiliency projects, greenways, or other infrastructure to protect communities from disasters (i.e. stream gauges).

Profile: Fish Creek Corridor in Estes Park

Along the Fish Creek Corridor In Estes Park, floodwaters washed out roads, took out municipal drinking sites, and damaged access to electricity. Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding repaired and replaced 16 separate sites along the corridor. Work included the installation of sewer interceptors and manholes, a complete rebuild of utility infrastructures, road right-of-ways, and the construction of mitigation structures. This critical project was vital support for this tourism-driven community.

Anti-Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

If you suspect Fraud, Waste, or Abuse by a State agency, employee or contractor, please report through the Colorado State Auditor Fraud Hotline website, email osafraudhotline@state.co.us or call (303) 869-3020.

For consumer fraud, please go to the Stop Fraud Colorado website hosted by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.

Contact Information

Will Cundiff
Grants Financial Administrator, Department of Local Affairs
will.cundiff@state.co.us
303.864.8477

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