Financial aid sparse for El Paso County residents who lost homes in fire

Tim Huffman's temporary new home rolled down his driveway in Hanover on Thursday evening and parked near the heap of ashen rubble that just a few days ago was his house.

The Glendale Titanium fifth-wheel recreational vehicle, purchased from a friend, will serve as his living quarters until he determines how he can rebuild his home, which was destroyed this week in the 117 fire that burned more than 42,000 acres in southern El Paso County.

Huffman said he used to have insurance, but canceled it years ago because he felt the cost outweighed the benefits. He would have been paying about $1,200 in premiums annually for a payout of only about $25,000, he said.

Now, the construction company employee's plans for retirement - which he hoped would come in five or seven years - are on hold.

"I'm 65 years old, and it took a lifetime to get where I was at," he said Thursday evening, standing next to what was once his front porch, now a patch of concrete littered with ash and debris. "At this age, you can't totally recover."

Huffman is one of 23 property owners who lost their homes in the blaze, which officials say has displaced 16 families. Many more vehicles, barns, outbuildings and other structures also were destroyed.

Those who don't have insurance, face mostly uncertainty.

Individual homeowners are not eligible for relief funds that are sometimes available to natural disaster victims, such as grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other forms of government assistance, said El Paso County spokesman Matt Steiner.

The extent of the damage will be clearer next week. On Monday, three teams of two staff members from the Assessor's Office will begin visiting every parcel in the burn area that's not vacant to put a dollar amount on the fire's destruction, said county Assessor Steve Schleiker.

Schleiker said he expects the damage assessment will be completed by Monday night or Tuesday. Within a few weeks, his office will send out notices of property value that reflect the damage, he said. After those notices have been mailed out, he plans to hold a town hall to allow residents to ask questions or air concerns about the damage assessment process.

Those whose properties were damaged by the fire will likely see a tax break for a few years as they rebuild their homes, he said. The amount of those reductions will depend on the value of the property and the extent of the damage.

FEMA, which provides individual assistance to victims of some natural disasters, only administers funds for presidentially-declared disasters.

In order for a federal disaster to be declared, Gov. John Hickenlooper would first have to declare the fire a state disaster, and the state would have to request that FEMA assess the damage from the blaze.

"This does not meet the indicators for a state-level disaster or a federal disaster, so the county will lead recovery efforts, and the state of Colorado will assist them by providing technical assistance," said Micki Trost, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

A disaster must significantly affect a "sizable number" of people to warrant individual assistance from FEMA, said agency spokesman Jerry DeFelice. While a variety of factors are taken into account, often those funds are not available when those affected have property insurance that covers their losses.

Even for those fire victims who have insurance, they may not be able to fully recover their losses.

Outbuildings and barns require supplemental insurance and are not covered by the typical homeowners' policy, said Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association.

If homeowners haven't documented the value of their possessions, the reimbursement process gets more complicated.

Many insurance providers have tools, such as smartphone apps, that help homeowners to make these catalogs, Walker said. But often, homeowners don't do it before it's too late.

"No one wants to think that the unthinkable will happen," she said.

A law passed after the Waldo Canyon and Black Forest fires requires that, if a homeowner does not have a written inventory, a provider sill must pay 30 percent of the value of the contents in a policy.

The Board of County Commissioners may be able to make some changes to ease the rebuilding process for residents.

After the Black Forest fire, county commissioners relaxed land use codes to allow residents to live in mobile homes and recreational vehicles for extended periods while they cleaned up and rebuilt.

"I'm sure that we will do the same thing this time," said Commissioner Peggy Littleton, who served on the board during the Black Forest fire.

Local nonprofits may also offer resources.

The American Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado has met with eight families affected by the fire, providing them with a range of financial assistance, from gift cards to buy clothing to money for short hotel stays, said Bill Fortune, a spokesman for the organization.

While the Red Cross does not provide long-term assistance, it can refer victims to other nonprofits that might be able to help, Fortune said.

"We're hoping that people come forward and seek us out so that we can provide as much support as we can," he said.

Those affected by the fire who need assistance from the Red Cross can call 800-417-0495.

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Contact Rachel Riley: 636-0108

Credit: Rachel Riley