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State recovery team outlines long-term wildfire recovery supports for Pueblo County
Summary
State recovery officials told Pueblo County commissioners recovery will be long-term and complex, urged residents to register in the survivor portal, and emphasized that insurance is the first stop for most assistance.
State recovery officials briefed the Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners on July 14 about the long-term work ahead to help residents recover from the ongoing wildfire.
Kelly Streiff, part of the State of Colorado recovery team, told the board that "disaster recovery is going to continue for years and years," and underscored that recovery starts with local capacity and voluntary organizations before escalating to state and federal resources when needs exceed local means. Streiff said state agencies coordinate through a State Recovery Task Force to match expertise and programs to local needs.
Mickey Trost, the state public information officer, urged careful public messaging to counter misinformation and to manage expectations about what recovery programs will provide. Trost said officials must be clear that recovery programs "do not duplicate insurance" and noted that the FEMA individual assistance program "is just under $44,000" as an illustrative limit for some federal individual aid. Trost and Streiff both stressed that residents should contact their insurance companies as the fastest path to recovery and should register in the county survivor portal so the state and county can identify unmet needs.
The state team listed program examples available for technical and financial assistance, including the Emergency Watershed Protection Program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, and said volunteer organizations active in disaster are a crucial resource from cleanup through rebuilding. The team also pointed commissioners to a Division of Insurance webinar and to state and local recovery assistance centers for ongoing public information.
Officials said the state will remain engaged in coordination with county staff, voluntary organizations and federal partners as damage assessments and recovery needs become clearer.
