Analysis: Tracking the money spent on disaster recovery in the Pikes Peak region
El Paso County continues to receive millions of federal, state and private funds targeted at disaster recovery.
More than $56 million came into the county to help fund recoveries from the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire, the 2013 Black Forest fire and the September 2013 floods – all of which were declared federal disasters. The money went to highway projects and landscape restoration projects, to massive debris nets and catchment basins, and in some cases to private citizens to help with immediate needs, such as buying food. The money covered tree removal and counseling services, firefighting costs and salaries.
There is no single database tracking the money that Colorado Springs, El Paso County and Manitou Springs received. Instead, each entity has its own way of tracking funds and tallying numbers.
The Gazette has compiled as many of those numbers as possible, but the money trail is ever-growing – local governments are waiting for money, and in some cases, they intend to apply for more.
Here’s a snapshot of what we found:
