Pagosa Springs mayor says 700 homes damaged, town needs federal aid
Donald Kubelka’s single-story two-bedroom house sits just steps from the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where a red line traced around the yellow exterior walls marks where the river wrapped around the house up to the windows. His two kids’ toys are strewn around the yard. Inside, red mud coats the floors and walls, waterlogged wallpaper peels away in sheets, and a strong, musty smell hangs in the air.
“Sorry, I’m at a bit of a loss for words. It’s a bit overwhelming,” Kubelka said.
Asked whether he thinks he will have to take down the entire house, Kubelka replied, “Yeah, let me show you.”
Kubelka said the first flood came three weeks ago and the second was bigger. “We had a inch of mud come through on the first flood that got up to about a foot and a half,” he said. Both floods hit exactly a year after floods big enough that Colorado asked for federal disaster assistance. Kubelka would welcome some help, but he does not know where to begin. “So, you know, they gave me a list of - here’s a bunch of numbers to call. It’s like, OK, but what am I supposed to say? Hey, hi, I’m Donald, and I got flooded out of my house, and I don’t know the first thing about anything, so…” he said.
At a public meeting, Pagosa Springs Mayor Shari Price introduced members of Colorado’s congressional delegation who came to see the damage. Price said the town of about 2,000 people is going to need federal help to recover, and that some 700 homes here saw flood damage. “I’m hopeful, but it’s also critical that we get that funding. We just can’t do it without it,” Price said. Price said roads, bridges and utilities are hanging on by a thread. Many homeowners, including Kubelka, do not have flood insurance, and people in Pagosa Springs are worried about whether federal aid will come.
The worry about federal help is grounded in last year’s experience. Last October, President Trump initially denied disaster assistance. At the time, Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, was refusing to release one of Trump’s political allies from state prison. Five months later, the governor commuted her sentence, and the aid, more than $90 million, was delivered.
Jacob Appenzeller hopes President Trump’s dispute with Colorado is over now. Appenzeller said he knows Trump is not a big fan of the governor but hopes they can put their differences away and help out however they can. Appenzeller, a contractor, and one of his employees are parked on the side of a road, trying to figure out what to do; the highway is washed out ahead, and they cannot get to their construction job site. “I just hope we get our funding. I mean, I know Trump likes to kind of sit on his hands a little bit on some funding like that,” Appenzeller said.
Colorado’s governor has requested that Trump fast-track a major disaster declaration. A couple of weeks ago, the Federal Highway Administration responded with $6.5 million toward a requested $65 million to repair highways. Overall, the state saw far more extensive damage. This week, state officials are visiting six counties to compile comprehensive damage assessments. They have not said when they expect to have final numbers that they would submit in a federal funding request.
Officials in four states are still tallying damage from the floods and say they will request federal disaster assistance.