Financial aid sparse for El Paso County residents who lost homes in fire
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
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
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
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.
In order for a federal disaster to be declared, Gov.
"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
A disaster must significantly affect a "sizable number" of people to warrant individual assistance from
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
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
After the
"I'm sure that we will do the same thing this time," said Commissioner
Local nonprofits may also offer resources.
While the
"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
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