Flood Recovery: Housing

FEMA's approved temporary rental assistance for at least two months. The rental vacancy rate in the Northern Front Range market was 3.5% or less before the flood, and it's substantially more difficult to find a vacant unit. The state's working with private landlords and property management firms to include all available rental units at ColoradoHousingSearch.com.

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The state's housing disaster strategy will focus on finding the resources to meet the needs not covered by the federal disaster assistance programs. Colorado's Congressional delegation's asked HUD for a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grant. In the Sandy disaster those funds were used to help defray cost not covered by FEMA and flood insurance. The grant was used for residential and commercial property repairs, infrastructure reconstruction, and economic development incentives.

Gov. Frees Up More Funds For Flood Relief

Gov. Hickenlooper's signed an Executive Order making $65.5 million more available for flood response and recovery, bringing total state funds available to $91.5 million. The order authorizes the Director of the Office of Emergency Management to make available up to $20 million for short-term, no interest loans to provide any political subdivision of the state with short-term capital needed for flood response and recovery.

Woman Charged in Beating Death of Suspected Pedophile

A suburban Denver woman accused of beating a man to death with a baseball bat because she suspected him of sexually molesting a child has been formally charged. 30-year-old Forsythia Owen of Englewood appeared in Arapahoe County court today on charges including first-degree murder after deliberation and first-degree assault with a deadly weapon. She is expected to enter a plea in December.
Englewood police say Owen told them she killed 42-year-old Denzel Rainey as he was sleeping in an alley because a child accused the man of sexually abusing her.

Ft. Morgan residents are getting some help

Ft. Morgan residents are getting some help. The Flood Relief Center at Caring Ministries of Morgan County has items such as blankets, personal care kits, diapers, bleach and lots more, all waiting for flood victims to help them recover. Caring Ministries also houses the local Red Cross and Salvation Army outposts, and between the three entities, lots of information and relief help is available. And they've set up a Facebook page that features various local relief efforts where those affected by the flood can post the things they need, or people can also post the various fundraisers or other relief-related events they're planning.
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Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper is considering calling a special legislative session to deal with issues surrounding the Colorado floods

Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper is considering calling a special legislative session to deal with issues surrounding the Colorado floods. Some issues of concern include laws to address looting and potential fraud. A final decision on the special session would be made in the next few days. The regular legislative session starts in January. The governor made the comments while announcing that he'd authorized another $65.5 million for flood recovery efforts, bringing the total amount of state funds he's approved so far to $91.5 million, which he says he hopes will help crews meet the Dec. 1 to reopen roads.
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The West Nile virus has claimed the life of a Mesa County man

The West Nile virus has claimed the life of a Mesa County man. Health officials say the unidentified man died of complications from the West Nile virus. He is the first in Mesa County to die from the virus this year. Officials said, so far six Mesa County residents have been diagnosed with West Nile virus in 2013.
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Fire it up

Fire it up. Not so fast say some rangers ticketing campers in the White River National Forest for smoking marijuana, even though pot use is now legal in Colorado. But authorities say, a new state law that legalized the possession and sale of small amounts of pot does not change the fact that marijuana possession remains illegal on federal land. The White River National Forest, a 2.3-million acre swath of public land that surrounds Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley, is one of the most heavily used national forests in the country. The Aspen Daily News reports rangers are not on the prowl for violators, but they will enforce the law if they catch you smoking.
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