Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Saturday requested about $27 million in federal aid from President Donald Trump to help repair public property after floods tore through parts of southern Colorado last weekend.
The total includes early damage assessments from Archuleta and Rio Grande counties, two of 12 listed in the state’s disaster emergency declarations, for storms between Oct. 22-25. Another round of precipitation is already hitting the same region, with rain, snow and flood risk expected through Monday.
Assessments are still ongoing, and the state’s request is likely to grow, Polis said in an interview with The Colorado Sun on Saturday.
“There’s many forms of disaster assistance. This is one of the bigger ones because it’s sort of general public infrastructure,” Polis said. “The final amount I’m confident will be much higher than $27 million, but we are filing with that to get this moving and approved.”
The state is requesting funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s public assistance and hazard mitigation grant program for Archuleta and Rio Grande counties. Damage from other counties will be added once assessments are complete.
The assessments so far identified about $10.6 million in damage to local roads, bridges and culverts; $2.44 million in damage to public utilities; and $8.59 million in damage to parks and recreation facilities, the governor’s office said in a news release Saturday.
Emergency protective measures account for another $4.16 million, with additional costs identified for water control facilities, public buildings and debris removal.
If granted, FEMA will match 75% of the cost to repair damaged water and waste systems, county roads, dams and other public property while aiming to reduce the risk of more damage in future floods.
Assistance for individuals and private property is not included in the request. The first option for homeowners is always insurance, Polis said.
Colorado transportation officials also requested $65 million from the federal government Wednesday to repair significant flood damage to highways across southwestern Colorado.
The Federal Highway Administration approved the Colorado Department of Transportation’s request, including $6.5 million in quick-release funding so crews can get started on repairs before winter, the governor’s office announced Friday.
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, whose lands were also impacted by severe flooding, will pursue FEMA assistance independently from the state, state officials said.
The tribe has not responded to requests for comment about the flood response.
State officials are hoping for a prompt response, Polis said, but the timeline for federal approval is unclear. It is Trump’s job to consider major disaster declaration requests, and the president has no timeframe or deadline to respond to Colorado’s request.
Trump denied Colorado’s federal funding request for flooding in 2025 in southwestern Colorado but granted an aid request for the Aspen Acres fire this summer.
“I hope the president does the right thing and grants the major disaster declaration,” Polis said.
A long road of recovery ahead
The devastating flooding impacted communities across the Four Corners region. Recovery is going to take many months, Polis said.
In Colorado, Polis declared a disaster emergency for Alamosa, Archuleta, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Ouray, Rio Grande, San Juan, San Miguel and Conejos counties. The Colorado National Guard, search and rescue teams, local first responders and officials joined the response.
About 1,000 people evacuated from their homes, and emergency responders rescued 48 people and 31 animals. About 100 homes in Archuleta County remained inaccessible as of Saturday.
Archuleta County Commissioner Warren Brown was watching the aid request process closely Saturday.
“I would like to say that I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said. “Instead what I’ll say is that 50% of that, I’m cautious in my expectation.”
Archuleta County’s damage assessment could increase, Brown said. As of Saturday, about 800 structures, including 540 homes, were impacted by the flooding, and about 150 miles of county roads are now impassable. Some power outages have occurred, and electricity lines were turned off during the height of last week’s storm for safety.
Water wells have been impacted and are being assessed, Brown said. He wasn’t aware of any waterline breaks as of Saturday.
The county is still recovering from the 2025 floods. Trump’s denial of the aid request last year meant the county could not repair its public infrastructure, like county roads, as quickly or as completely as it could have with the federal aid, Brown said.
“We saw more damage and devastation this year,” he said, “not only because it was a larger storm, but because we had not had the ability, or the funding, to bring our roads back to a standard that would have made them more durable.”
No explanation was given for the president’s denial, Brown said.
“If we did something wrong, tell us,” he said, “so when the next one hits, we’ll be better able to go through the process so our community has at least a fighting chance of getting these federal dollars that we desperately need.”
Type of Story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.