Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments will be conducted Tuesday, November 10 through Thursday, November 12 across southwest Colorado in Archuleta, Conejos, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma and Rio Grande counties. Assessment teams include representatives from each county, the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). A member of United Way’s 211 team will join the individual assistance teams. Officials will conduct onsite assessments to verify damages caused by severe storms and flooding that occurred in October and November. The assessments are for both the FEMA Individual Assistance and Public Assistance programs.
Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments are the first step required for the state to determine if a major disaster declaration can be requested by the governor to FEMA. The verified information collected during the assessments is used to designate areas eligible for assistance and the type of assistance available.
Multiple damage assessment teams will be in each county. One team will focus on the Individual Assistance program and a second team will be supporting Public Assistance assessments. All teams will work Tuesday through Thursday. The team members will be identified with their official agency logos.
Preliminary Damage Assessments focused on FEMA’s Individual Assistance program will identify the impact, type and extent of disaster damages to individuals and their primary homes. Teams will also assess insurance coverage, local economic impact and other factors.
If requested and approved, the Individual Assistance Program helps individuals and households with uninsured damages to primary homes and property that occurred during the incident period. The State of Colorado has been working with the impacted counties and individuals to fully assess the damages. FEMA validates the information and documentation. The state will then use the verified information collected during the assessments to determine whether a major disaster declaration will be requested by the governor.
The assessments for FEMA’s Public Assistance programs will identify and validate costs associated with damages to public infrastructure. If requested and approved, FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides funding to government agencies and certain private non-profit organizations to repair or replace damaged public infrastructure and for emergency actions taken to protect lives and property.
If a major disaster declaration is made, the declaration will designate areas eligible for assistance and the type of assistance available. There is no specific timeline for the federal government to approve or deny requests for presidential disaster declarations.
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