Southern Coloradans Hit By Floods Pray For Federal Assistance
Jacob Appenzeller got stuck in Pagosa Springs the night of November 1, when floodwaters swept a home off its foundation and into a bridge, destroying U.S. Route 160 between the tourist town and his home in Bayfield.
After two days stuck on the wrong side of the divide away from his home, Election Day came and went in a blur. It was the second major flood in two weeks. Homes from the Four Corners to Alamosa were hit with 20 trillion gallons of rain after a summer of punishing drought.
As the region began to dry out, Appenzeller cussed that his ballot was back at home, forgotten.
“I would have voted for laws. I’m kind of done voting for people,” he said. “But I didn’t get to even put in my vote. This is the first time and since I was 18 I didn’t get to put in my vote. Because I was stuck in Pagosa during voting day.”
As disillusioned as he may be with the people in politics, Appenzeller said he’s been thinking about them, hoping they’ll do the right thing. A year ago, the White House denied federal disaster funding to help the region recover from floods. This was during a time when President Donald Trump was pressuring Gov. Jared Polis to commute the sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters.
After Polis commuted her sentence, the federal government released $90 million in long-delayed disaster mitigation funding in September. So maybe this time would be different.
“I just hope we get our funding. I mean, I know Trump likes to kind of sit on his hands a little bit,” Appenzeller said. “I know he is not a big fan of our governor, but I hope they can get their differences away and help us out however they can.”
Colorado’s delegation is pushing the feds for funds.
On Saturday morning, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet and newly reelected Rep. Jeff Hurd arrived in Pagosa Springs by military helicopter as they toured the damaged region. They spent about an hour in the office beside the town’s landing strip, meeting with local officials to hear out what they needed next from their federal government.
The list was long. Natural gas lines were compromised, Archuleta County Sheriff Mike Le Roux said. There were still communities trapped beyond destroyed roadways. Pagosa Springs Mayor Shari Pierce pointed to the town’s sanitation system, which she said was “hanging on by a thread.” But a bigger concern was the number of homes that were destroyed, both here and in Durango, to the west. People were already out of work. Many did not have flood insurance. These towns would need money, quickly, to keep people housed and businesses open before winter.
“Were there any resources that you or anyone else has requested that you haven’t been able to get or that you’ve had trouble getting?” Hurd asked Pagosa Springs Town Manager David Harris during the discussion.
“Just the disaster declaration,” Harris replied. “That’s the big kahuna. Last year and this year.”
State and local governments can apply for disaster funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, for both short-term emergencies and long-term rebuilding. A town like Pagosa Springs could receive money for roads, homes, utilities and parks. Business owners can apply for grants. Immigration status is not meant to impact eligibility.
But as FEMA funding became increasingly politicized under the Trump administration, many Democratic leaders have worried that their states’ requests will be denied.
While a portion of requested assistance for the devastating Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain fires was approved this summer, individual assistance — to help residents rebuild or recoup losses — was denied. Instead, Polis is pushing the federal government for assistance through the Small Business Administration (SBA) to serve victims of those disasters, rather than appealing the denial.
But SBA assistance comes through loans, not grants, which means homeowners or renters are on the hook to repay the federal government, with interest, if their funding comes through.
Hurd and Bennet said they were leading the charge to ensure a federal disaster is declared for the recent floods, and joined their colleagues asking President Trump for assistance in a letter signed by Colorado’s entire congressional delegation on Nov. 4.
“Our state partners have been terrific, and now it’s the turn of the federal government to make sure that we are supporting every single person in this wonderful county, getting things back and running as quickly as we can,” Hurd told the crowd. “It was eye-opening to see the scope of damage and devastation as we were coming into Pagosa Springs this morning.”
Bennet said “the chaos of our political system” is a hurdle in this moment, but that the state is doing its best to ensure its pitch to the president lands.
“As the governor’s office said, they’re figuring out what the best way to put that story together is, to get the funding that we need,” he said. “Jeff Hurd and I are going to lead the delegation to make sure that this gets to the top of the president’s desk, one way or another.”
In the meantime, residents are helping each other as best they can
The students of Pagosa Springs High School, out of class for the time being, came over to Jodi Jacquinot’s place last Thursday to help her shovel out the oozing mud covering everything. She planned to open an antique shop here, at the River Center strip mall, on November 6. Instead, nearly everything she collected for the opening had been destroyed.
“It’s a big blow,” she said. “But Pagosa is coming together and supporting each other. And so we just have to keep going. Every day, that’s what we’re telling ourselves: just keep going, just keep going, just keep going.”
Jacquinot said about 20 community members showed up to help, including excavation workers volunteering with backhoes to help remove the mud.
She hopes the government will help business and community members like her.
“We need support, we just do,” she said.
And though a heavy context hung over her ruined storefront, the parking lot on Friday was alive with joy. Jacquinot’s friends and family danced as they scrubbed off old plates and trinkets. This was how they’d get by, neighbor to neighbor, at least for now.
Jacob Appenzeller, who was trapped here as the roads washed away, said he’s watched the communities along the flood plain come together. As a homebuilder, he expects he’ll be busy soon. He’ll volunteer his labor, for sure, but he’d like to get paid for it, too. It could be a lean winter for a lot of people.
“Politically, I don’t care either way. I just want whatever help that this community deserves. And I do believe that we all deserve a little help,” he said.
Appenzeller said there’s been some silver lining, despite how terrible these disasters have been. As messed up as America can feel, especially in November, these last weeks revealed a unity worth remembering.
“I think the storm might have hit at the right time. Because when everybody should be screaming and yelling at each other, they’re all out in their muck boots and helping each other out,” he said. “I think that’s cool.”
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