Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell’s name.
Almost six months after the Marshall Fire destroyed 1,084 homes in eastern Boulder County, local, state, and federal leaders said they are happy that the recovery process is moving along quicker than anticipated.
“We’ve made significant progress, and we’re on track to essentially be wrapping up in the month of July, which is actually a much faster pace than we heard in the very early days after this disaster,” said Superior Mayor Clint Folsom. “We heard that coordinated cleanup might take a year or a year and a half, but it’s been nowhere near that time frame.”
At a roundtable discussion in Louisville on Monday afternoon, several officials — including Boulder County Commissioners Claire Levy, Matt Jones and Marta Loachamin; Folsom; Louisville Mayor Ashley Stolzmann; and U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse — were joined by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell to give updates on the progress of the rebuilding process.
Criswell said she also was impressed with the progress of debris removal at the burn sites.
“It’s so much different than when I was here just shortly after the disaster, and seeing the community starting to clear and starting to rebuild, it was really exciting to see that progress that’s starting to happen,” Criswell said.
She initially visited the burn area Jan. 2, just three days after the Marshall Fire burned entire neighborhoods to the ground.
One of those neighborhoods, the Hillside neighborhood, lies just across the street from the Louisville Recreation and Senior Center, where the discussion occurred Monday. Bulldozers and excavators were visible outside the rec center windows as crews wrap up debris removal work — providing a fitting backdrop for the meeting’s topic.
Though debris removal has been described as swift, there is still a long way to go until the recovery process is complete. So far, 11 building permits have been issued to homeowners across the three jurisdictions looking to rebuild; Additionally, over the past several months, residents have spoken out about being underinsured by tens of thousands of dollars.
Criswell said that in cases of underinsurance, there is government assistance that can help individuals with closing the gap.
“We know that every individual experiences disasters differently. FEMA’s programs offer a jumpstart to help with the recovery process. We do understand that there are a lot of underinsured individuals out here, and so one of the roles that we play is trying to bring in our other partners that can assist with that,” Criswell said.
On a local level, Boulder County has combined some funding to hire recovery navigators, whose role is to work with underinsured individuals to come up with a personalized recovery plan.
Jerry Singer, recovery manager for Boulder County, said the recovery navigators also will assist individuals in accessing resources and pools of money to help lift the financial burden when it comes to rebuilding.
“This process will take time, so we just ask folks for patience. But there are resources,” Singer said.
