Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, plus Reps. Jared Polis, Diana DeGette and Ed Perlmutter, all Colorado Democrats, have co-signed a letter urging both the Department of Agriculture and one of its agencies, the U.S. Forest Service, to move faster in helping the state pre-empt further damage in areas already damaged by September floods.
The September floods caused about $3 billion in damage statewide, including $44 million in national forests. In their letter, the lawmakers pressed for immediate repairs to damaged or washed-out roads to which firefighters need access in order to combat small blazes before they become full-on forest fires.
Many of the worst hit roads are in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Larimer and Boulder counties, where flooding affected approximately 230,000 acres. In that area, the flood also caused at least 250 debris slides, and destroyed or damaged 382 miles of roads, four bridges and 42 recreational facilities. The lawmakers are concerned that the long-term consequences could be dire if the forests don’t get recovery help soon.
“The lack of road access could seriously jeopardize the ability of firefighters to quickly suppress wildfires and thus increases the risk of catastrophic fire for the fast-approaching 2014 wildfire season,” the letter reads. “In addition, other local land managers are rushing to stabilize landslides and remove debris from streams in advance of the spring runoff. If debris issues are not addressed, melting spring snowpack will back up in rivers and streams and cause a new round of flooding in communities that are still struggling to rebuild.”
Alex Burness can be reached at 970-669-5050 ext. 521 or burnessa@reporter-herald.com. Follow him on Twitter @Alex_Burness.