After the disastrous floods which lasted from September 11 through September 15, Boulder County has officially been designated a Federal Disaster Area. According to CNN, there have now been seven confirmed fatalities and approximately 18,000 homes across the state have seen damage. Nearly 200 miles of state highways will need to be repaired along with many more miles of local roads. It’s been estimated that repairing all of the damage may end up costing businesses, homeowners, and local governments up to two billion dollars.

Here in Boulder, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle has said that he believes it will take years to rebuild all of the destroyed roads, highways, bridges, and sewers, not to mention the more than 550 homes in Boulder County which have been either damaged or destroyed.

This is not the first major disaster from which Boulder County has had to recover, though it certainly is the worst in recent memory. The recent disasters in Boulder have been wildfires, which Boulder has successfully recovered from, but recovering from a flood is an entirely different task. Few people here have flood insurance and so won’t be receiving much outside help. The only financial assistance that most will receive will be a couple thousand dollars for temporary housing provided by FEMA.

Through all of this, the people of Boulder have shown their resilience and willingness to face this disaster with audacity and generosity. The fabric of this community has only strengthened as neighbors are reaching out to one another and offering their help in this time of need. Wednesday marked the first time since last week that there hasn’t been need for any more evacuations in Boulder and with the clearing of the rain, it’s become apparent that the time for rebuilding has just begun.

“We have this huge road to recovery ahead of us that’s going to be long term,” said Sheriff Pelle, according to CBS Denver. Pelle added that the thing that most people need right now is not blankets and toiletries, but quite simply, money. If you would like to lend your support or are in need of help, please don’t hesitate to use the links below:

American Red Cross

1-800-RED CROSS

www.redcross.org/donate/

Boulder Flood Relief

720-943-4482

http://boulderfloodrelief.org/

Help Colorado Now

www.HelpColoradoNow.com

David Westreich