Various local community groups have partnered to create a disaster assistance group focused on sharing information and raising money for people in need after the 416 Fire.
Southwest Colorado Disaster Assistance’s mission statement is to “share resources and raise awareness during times of crisis or emergency situations.”
The program includes a dozen city, county and community groups.
The initial focus of the program will be to raise money for the Community Emergency Assistance Coalition, said SWCODA spokeswoman Theresa Blake Graven. The first goal is to raise $500,000, which would help up to 1,000 people.
The coalition provides about $130,000 a year in emergency financial requests for things such as child care bills, insurance payments, past-due utilities and rent payments.
In addition, the program will provide information and resources to those who need help and those who can provide help.
Applications are expected to open Monday for those who have been affected by the fires. One hundred percent of donations to the Community Emergency Assistance Coalition stay local and go back to the community, Graven said.
A focus of the initiative is to provide assistance to Silverton, which has been suffering economic loss from the discontinuation of railroad traffic and the closure of U.S. Highway 550. The group will also focus its efforts on Durango.
“They are really in a state of economic disaster,” Graven said.
There is a possibility that SWCODA could be used during future crises, Graven said. The Community Emergency Assistance Coalition was founded in 2008 after a fire on Main Avenue destroyed three businesses. The fund was activated again during the 2015 Gold King Mine spill.
Since Durango’s economy takes a hit during natural disasters, there is motivation for programs like SWCODA that can be in place for when unexpected things like wildfires happen, Graven said.
rsimonovich@durangoherald.com
