FEMA supports recovery efforts in Evans

Since the September 2013 floods, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided nearly $6.6 million in Individual Assistance to Evans residents and obligated more than $1.4 million in Public Assistance to the City of Evans. At the same time, the U.S. Small Business Administration has provided more than $3.6 million in low-interest loans to 46 Evans homeowners and nine business owners.

As a part of its outreach to the citizens of Evans, FEMA Individual Assistance has provided:

• Transitional Sheltering Assistance for 65 households
• More than $1 million in Other Needs Assistance for nearly 200 households
• Nearly $4.9 million in repair and replacement money for 248 households
• More than $634,000 in rental assistance for 336 households
• Manufactured housing units for 25 households
• Maximum grants of $31,900 to 133 households

FEMA Public Assistance has obligated $1,437,928 for seven projects in Evans, including major road repairs and emergency measures to protect lives and property. The state and local share is $479,309, bringing the total of $1,917,237.

Projects that have been obligated include:

• Repairs to sections of Brantner Road, Industrial Parkway, 40th Street, 49th Street, Trinidad Street, Salida Court, and several other roads
• Overtime pay for city workers during the flooding, and salaries and lodging for a city-hired team of disaster response experts

Six additional City of Evans project worksheets are in process for a total of $2,967,313. (Federal share: $2,223,579) This includes:

• Repairing extensive damage to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, and at least $1 million for debris removal and repairs to Riverside Park
• Funding for repairs to the Riverside Park athletic fields, playground equipment, walking trail, parking area and other facilities

In addition to the monetary assistance offered to the City of Evans:

• FEMA Public Assistance meets weekly with Evans Public Works employees and has set up an office in the Evans City Hall.
•  FEMA National Flood Insurance Program specialists as well as the state NFIP coordinator and state mapping coordinator met with the City of Evans to discuss floodplain management and the city’s recent adoption of the Weld County Preliminary Maps. The State and FEMA will continue to work with city officials by providing additional training and technical assistance to support their floodplain management program.
• FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons are working with Recovery Groups such as Weld Recovers to address the unmet needs of not only the citizens of Evans, but Weld County as well.
• FEMA senior leadership held meetings with the City of Evans to discuss the Riverside Recreation area, a landfill discovered in the Riverside area, and two mobile home parks within the city.

Although not all of the city’s needs can be addressed by FEMA programs, Tom McCool, FEMA’s Federal Coordinating Officer, said in a letter addressed to Evans City Manager Aden Hogan, “I regret I do not have the authority to support all of Evans’ needs, but that does not mean every member of the FEMA team here in Colorado is not fully invested in bringing every resource the Stafford Act authorizes to bear in support of Evans.”

• FEMA and the SBA have also provided assistance to the rest of Weld County. Including the assistance to Evans, Weld County has received:
• More than $10 million in Individual Assistance, including nearly $7.5 million for repair and replacement money for 757 households
• Maximum grants of $31,900 to 146 households in Weld County.
• Transitional Sheltering Assistance for 106 households
• Manufactured housing units for 30 households
• More than $1.1 million in rental assistance for 636 households
• Nearly $1.5 million in Other Needs Assistance for 342 households
• Nearly $10 million from the SBA including more than $8.7 million in low-interest home loans and nearly $1.2 million in business loans in Weld County
• Nearly $4.5 million in obligations from FEMA Public Assistance, including:
• More than $3.2 million in road and bridge repairs 
• More than $900,000 in protective measures 
• More than $240,000 in public utility repairs 
• More than $22,000 in debris removal

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management supports the needs of local government and partners with them before, during and after a disaster and to enhance preparedness statewide by devoting available resources toward prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery, which will ensure greater resiliency of our communities. For more information: coemergency.com and CORecovers.info

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private, nonprofit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants can go to sba.gov/disaster or call (800) 659-2955 (TTY 1-800-877-8339).