Disaster Recovery Grant Application Deadline - September 15, 2016

The Loveland Housing Authority, who is currently managing the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding for individual assistance in Larimer County, will be closing the application period. All applications must be received by our office located at (375 W. 37th ST. Suite 200, Loveland, CO 80538) by September 15, 2016 to be reviewed for possible approval for funding in one of the three remaining assistance programs.

The Repair or Rebuilding Assistance, the Down Payment Assistance for replacement housing and the Home Access program for private road and bridge rebuilding. All applicants must be a verified survivor from either of the Federal Declared Disaster -September 2013 (Flood) DR-41-45 or the 2012 High Park Fire DR-40-67 for consideration.

Applications can be obtained by visiting the website at www.lovelandhousing.org, calling 970-624-3605 or 970-624-3606, or at our administration building address listed above. ​

Take a moment to watch this video all the flood recovery work in Larimer County done by the WI Disaster Response Fellowship last week. You will start your day with a smile.

Important Message regarding Right of Entry (ROE)... these forms are important in moving flood recovery projects forward in the county.

As the Larimer County community continues recovery efforts from the natural disasters of the last few years, private landowners are being asked to provide and sign numerous documents. The documentation needs are driven by the nature and location of the project as well as the funding source. One of the most common documents is a Right Of Entry (ROE).

What is an ROE?
A right of entry is a signed document allowing a person(s) onto your land for an expressed reason. The document states information such as who permission is granted for, the conditions of access and a timeframe for the duration of access. Depending on the entity requesting access and the funding source of the project, an ROE may have specific conditions that are required to be part of the document. For example, a FEMA related project right of entry needs to contain a hold harmless section within the language.

Why is an ROE needed?
Gaining legal access to private property is an important aspect of a construction project from start to finish. Multiple facets of a project require access to a property even before the actual construction begins. A few examples of this are access for environmental reviews that may be conducted in order to provide the clearance needed to move forward or surveying information being collected to be able to provide detailed designs.
In many cases, you may be requested to grant access to your property even though the actual construction project area will not affect your property. An ROE may be needed to grant access through the private easement that exists on your road and property to get to a project site. Right of entries are often requested at the beginning of the project to prevent future delays later on.

Do I have to sign it?
A right of entry is a completely voluntary document. Your land is private and therefore it is your decision to waive the right to grant access. However, an ROE may be a requirement for the project to proceed. Failure to agree and sign an ROE may jeopardize the implementation of a project that could benefit you and/or your community. In some cases the conditions of the agreement can be negotiated or edited to alleviate concerns and fit individual needs.
I have already signed one.
​
Do I need to sign more? 
The information provided on an ROE is private and is not shared outside of the parties privy to it. In many cases projects overlap government entities and agencies. For your privacy and safety this information is secure with the person(s) you are granting access for each particular right of entry and not shared from entity to entity. Therefore you may have to grant permission and sign multiple right of entries for similar projects in the same area.

Does agreeing to an ROE mean I am agreeing to the whole project?
In most cases, no. Signing the ROE does not mean you are agreeing to having the project implemented. Typically, this is an additional document you have the option of signing. Though the right of entry will be utilized during the construction period, agreeing to allow access to your property will assist in gathering enough information in the early stages of the project like surveys, designs and environmental clearances. In many cases, landowners will be involved in the detailed design creation. In some cases the project will not progress past the design phases due to homeowners not wanting the project to go forward, the project not meeting certain criteria or other factors.

Still have questions?
On every ROE there should be a contact person and/or number. If you have any questions or concerns about a right of entry, it is recommend that you utilize this resource. This contact should be able to address any questions or concerns you may have.

Two years after the 2013 Colorado floods, residents are busy rebuilding their homes and lives. Many of them did not have adequate insurance or resources to fund their projects. The Loveland Housing Authority has been administering federal grant programs assist these residents with their needs. The agency was awarded $5.5 million dollars of CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery Funds) to assist families effected by the 2013 September floods.  These funds will provide repair and rebuilding assistance, rental assistance and home purchase assistance eligible residents may apply for assistance with down payment on a new home, temporary rental assistance, home access/driveway repairs or funds to repair or rebuild their homes. To date, the Loveland Housing Authority has funded or approved nearly $2,000,000 in these disaster relief funds. 

Funding is now available for survivors of the 2012 High Park Fire too. 

If you would like more information on these programs, please call the Loveland Housing Authority at 970-667-3232 or our Larimer LTRG office 970-461-2222. 

Larimer Office of Emergency Management is conducting an Unmet Needs and Community Fragility Study to both capture needs within each community and to better determine the factors that may or may not cause a community to be fragile to disasters. This study is conducted in an effort to take the available research on resilience and fragility and create programs that increase capacity and decrease fragility overall.

How you can help – In order to get an accurate glimpse of each community within Larimer County, we have to hear from the citizens themselves. The county’s goal is to obtain information relevant to fragility and resiliency for every community in the county. But the information has to come from individual community members. If you haven't already done so, please take a quick minute to complete the survey below. It's short and should only take a couple of minutes... but will provide very important feedback.

The survey can be found at: surveymonkey.com/r/SFWMKQT

The Office of Emergency Management can also email the survey directly, mail it to individuals upon request or take the information over the phone. For any questions regarding this study, please contact Lori Hodges, Director of Emergency Management, at hodgeslr@co.larimer.co.us or by phone at (970) 498-7147.

Loveland, CO. – August 6, 2015  - The Loveland Fire Rescue Authority in partnership with Larimer County, Poudre Fire Authority, American Red Cross, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Collins Office of Emergency Management is hosting an all-day Family Safety and Emergency Preparedness Expo.  This informative fun-filled expo will be held on Saturday September 26th, 2015 from 10 am - 4pm at the Thomas M. Mckee 4H Building at the Ranch Events Complex located at 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland. This event is free and open to the public. Food and drinks will be available for purchase at a variety of vendors onsite.

“This will be an opportunity for Northern Colorado families to meet with responders and safety educators to help them develop a preparedness plan before an emergency happens,” said Loveland Fire Rescue Authority Captain Pat Mialy. “We are excited to expand this event into the Thomas M. McKee 4H building.  Because this expo keeps growing and gets better and more comprehensive every year, we believe we’ll see a record turnout of attendees on September 26th.”

The “Family Safety and Emergency Management” Expo will include important preparedness presentations and safety information delivered through fun and interactive demonstrations that will inform and entertain the whole family. Exhibitors will demonstrate emergency response equipment and provide free information on a wide variety of topics to help families and businesses protect themselves from potential accidents and natural disasters.

In addition to the presentations, residents will be able to visit trade-show style booths featuring dozens of other organizations that can answer questions and provide resources. The American Red Cross will provide free training and preparedness parties. Safety mascots will be there for the kids to meet and there will be many drawings for valuable giveaways.

“Our region has experienced its fair share of disasters,” said Lori Hodges the Larimer County Director of Emergency Management. “We live in a rugged and beautiful area and we know that we’ll probably experience more weather-related events in the future. This expo is a great way for families to work on their preparedness plan and feel secure they know they will be safe and secure in the face of disaster.” 

On August 5, over 200 Group Partners and guests gathered at The Group Real Estate for a celebration event for GroupGives, a fund The Group Partners established at the Community Foundation to support area agencies who work on issues surrounding housing. During this event, The Group presented $30,000 gifts to two Larimer County Agencies,  Neighbor to Neighbor and the Larimer County Long Term Recovery Group. 

GroupGives was established in 2013.  Group Realtors and staff contribute on a regular basis to the fund, giving a small percentage of their commissions or having $$ withheld from paychecks.  The mission of GroupGives is “We believe every person should have a place to call home.”   Since its inception over $170,000 has been granted to 25 local agencies.  Although most of the grants have been much smaller, we are very excited about these large gifts that will help low income residents identify home ownership goals and the practical steps to make ownership a reality (Neighbor to Neighbor), as well as provide assistance to homeowners who have been displaced ever since the floods in 2013 (Larimer County Long Term Recovery Group). 

GroupGives is administered by the Community Foundation.  A committee of 12 people from The Group review grant applications and make decisions about how the money will be used.  It is a great example of how by everyone giving a little consistently, the total can grow quickly to make a big difference in our community.  This model could be easily duplicated by other companies in our community.

Earlier this summer, the team held their first GroupGives Back day.  About 50 Group Realtors and staff spent an afternoon in Drake with the Larimer LTRG volunteer managers helping repair damage from the 2013 floods.  It was one of the largest volunteer groups that has organized to help flood survivors.

CDBG-DR funds can be used to provide assistance to any eligible household for the TRA program if and when they choose to move to a non-disaster impacted county, as long as they originally resided in the disaster impacted county and suffered a direct impact in the flood (or fire). This means a person is able to utilize these funds to move anywhere in the state. 

Temporary Rental Assistance CDBG DR program offers:

Rental and relocation assistance for both September 2013 Flood and June 2012 High Park Fire survivors
Clients must have been directly affected and displaced by the disaster.
Clients must be 80% of the Area Median Income or below to qualify for assistance (ex. A family size of 2 may not have more than $49,800 in gross yearly income)

Assistance includes:

·         Deposits for rentals
·         Monthly rental assistance based on income and allowable deductions from income
·         Storage rental fees
·         Moving expenses including hiring moving help, packing and unpacking as well as transportation of possessions

For more information, please contact our office at 970-461-2222 or the Loveland Housing Authority who is administering this program at 970.667.3232

Estes Valley residents... Thanks to the incredible volunteer muscles of SERVE 6.8 andTeam Rubicon - Region 8... we have some sandbags available for residents who are concerned about flooding. It's self serve. While no flooding has been reported in Estes Park, this effort was coordinated to offer peace of mind to residents who want to keep sand bags on hand during this rainy runoff season. 

Stop by 666 Elm Road at the Estes Park Public Works facility, Turn North off Hwy 36 at Smokin' Dave's BBQ then up on the right about 1/4 mile. Look for the palettes of bags just outside the gate. Please take only what you need. Supplies are limited. First come first served. Residents must be prepared to dispose of their own sand bags after runoff season.

We'll be making more tomorrow and we could also use volunteers to fill the bags. So feel free to stop by after 10:00 AM and help us get them filled. Special thanks to the Town of Estes Park Colorado and Larimer County for partnering with us to get this done quickly.

via Larimer.org

Sign up by May 1, 2015 for Emergency Alerts by visiting www.leta911.org and selecting the "Emergency Alerts Sign Up Now" Button

The Emergency Alerts System is a tool used to call you if there was an emergency in your area. You can sign up multiple contact devices for us to reach you by cell phone, text, home phone, work phone, and email. You can also sign up with multiple addresses, your home, your work, your kids school, your parent's house. This system allows us to reach you, wherever you are, if there was an emergency impacting your address.

We recently updated the Emergency Alerts System and the system will automatically send weather alerts for Larimer County or other community alerts like ongoing Emergency Event Updates offered previously as a web service by Larimer County. Larimer County is sun setting their Emergency Event subscription service and will only be sending alerts through the LETA Emergency Alerts System.

To take advantage of the new features create an account with LETA or log into your existing LETA account and select My Alert Subscriptions and sign up for the added Weather and Community Alerts offered by our Government Partners. Please act now to be prepared.

If we can't REACH you, we can't ALERT you.

Note: If you live near the Boulder County line, it's a good idea to sign up for their notification system too. www.boco911alert.com