Colorado leaders demand Trump reverse denial of disaster aid after fires, floods in western Colorado
Colorado’s top elected officials are urging President Donald Trump to reverse his decision to deny federal disaster aid after devastating wildfires and floods hit western Colorado this year.
Governor Jared Polis, along with U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, said the state’s requests for major disaster declarations — one for the Elk and Lee fires in Rio Blanco County, another for western Colorado floods in La Plata, Archuleta, and Mineral counties — were denied despite meeting or exceeding federal damage indicators set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Polis declared both incidents state disasters, and directed state agencies to assist in the response and recovery.
The fires, which occurred in July and August, destroyed or damaged homes, roads, and critical energy infrastructure. The state spent more than $18.5 million on fire response and recovery. In joint damage assessments with state and local officials, FEMA confirmed at least $27.5 million in damages from the fires and related mudslides — a number expected to rise.
The flooding, which occurred in October, forced nearly 400 homes to evacuate, destroyed over 60 miles of roads and bridges, and crippled water and sewer systems in towns like Pagosa Springs. The state allocated $6 million for flood response. Damage from the floods is already over $13 million and could grow.
Despite these losses, President Trump denied both requests. The state plans to appeal the decision.
This week, the president granted a request for a major disaster declaration made by Kansas for 12 counties impacted by straight-line winds, severe storms and flooding in July. The president also granted a request made last week by Montana for emergency assistance following early December flooding which impacted two counties and a tribal nation.
“Coloradans impacted by the Elk and Lee fires and the flooding in southwest Colorado deserve better,” said Governor Polis. “I call on the President’s better angels, and urge him to reconsider these requests. This is about the Coloradans who need this support, and we won’t stop fighting for them to get what they deserve.”
Senator Bennet called the decision “unacceptable” and said, “Communities in western Colorado are in serious need of help after the life-threatening flooding and historic wildfires earlier this year.”
Colorado Senator Michael Bennet
“Together with Governor Polis and the Colorado delegation, I will take every available step to appeal this decision,” Bennet stated.
Colorado Senator and former Governor John Hickenlooper
Senator Hickenlooper added, “Coloradans are trying to rebuild their lives after fires and floods destroyed homes and communities across our state. Trump’s decision to … withhold resources as our communities continue to recover, is unacceptable.”
The state says it cannot keep paying for recovery without federal help. Colorado has spent more than $57.5 million on disaster response since July 2024, and says is does not have the capacity to continue assisting recovering communities without federal assistance.
The Elk Fire and Lee Fire also damaged infrastructure owned by two utility companies that supply natural gas to much of the U.S. Their infrastructure losses alone total more than $24 million. If repairs aren’t made, local gas prices projected to rise sharply, and the regional economy could negatively impacted.
In the flood zone, rivers reached historic levels — including the San Juan River’s third-highest crest since 1911. Sewer systems failed, boil-water orders were issued, and long-term risks remain for homes near Vallecito Creek, the Piedra River, and in the San Juan River basin.
No one died in either disaster, however thousands of residents are still struggling to recover.
Editor’s note: Portions of this article have been augmented with the assistance of Large Language Models for analysis, with human review, editing, and original material.
