$1M FEMA grant to help Colorado Springs prepare for next wildfire
Wildfire mitigation projects in
The Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant will pay for wildfire mitigation projects on 500 acres in
"We're very fortunate that funding has become available to assist our community in addressing wildfire risk and very grateful for the opportunity
The grant is the largest wildfire mitigation funding awarded to the department. Over several years, Pre-Disaster Mitigation grants have provided the
But the grant is far short of what is needed to treat at-risk neighborhoods and city land.
"
Those 32,000 acres, and much of the
"As fire no longer naturally thins out the forest, we have to do it mechanically," said Taylor. "Our goal is to bring the forests back to historic stock conditions, or trees per acre."
The cost of not reaching that goal before the next fire is high. Since the start of 2012, more than 15,300 houses and commercial buildings have been built in
Some of those homes are part of the 113 homeowner associations and neighborhoods that the
Community members from the
"We picked those two areas because of the concern within the community. People are saying that they have done their work, so what about the work that needs to be done on the other side (of their property)?"
With the money, a licensed contractor will target dead and overgrown vegetation at
As Taylor and his team work, many wonder when the next
"We need to understand that where we live does have that risk, and the risk is not a matter of if, but when," Taylor said. "We monitor closely predictive services and the daily, monthly and yearly weather. We try to be on our toes ... and we want to make sure our community will be prepared for that event, but we don't know when it will happen or the severity."
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