Denver Catholic

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER 8 I FRONT RANGE FLOOD SEPT. 11-15, 2013 A series of storms devastate northern Colorado with flooding and mudslides. Twenty four coun- ties are declared disaster areas with Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties being hit hardest. SEPT. 16, 2013 Charities establishes three disas- ter relief centers, with assistance from Catholic Charities USA, at St. Mary Greeley, St. John the Evangelist Loveland, and Our Lady of the Valley in Windsor. Centers remain open seven days a week for several weeks. NOVEMBER Charities grant from USA that counseling, and long-term through Catholic Charities' response to Box program, originally creat- ed to help Hurricane Katrina victims. Each household has received an average of $2,500 in new couches, mattresses, wood kitchen tables, plaid bedding and white plates, vol- unteers said, thanks to part- nerships with Catholic Char- ities, United Way and local businesses. "The joy and gratitude we receive from each family, as they pick up their new house- hold furnishings, is most re- warding," said Milt Merrick, representative for the soci- ety's Rocky Mountain Disaster Division. Victims' recovery could take years. The Montez family has piles of debris waiting to be cleared and recently replaced flood-stained furnishings with the help of House in a Box. "The nightmare starts when you open the door (to your home)," Montez said, recalling when they surveyed the dam- age. "We're still working on it. All we can do is get our lives as close to what it was. We'll find a way to do it." Hope in a box A year later, 31-year-old Jen- nica Quesenberry said she's been moved to tears by the generosity of strangers helping her rebuild her home in Evans. Neighbors and church groups stopped to clear debris and clean her flooded home. From its Greeley warehouse, House in a Box provided a ta- ble, twin bed, dresser, couch and kitchen supplies for her and her 2-year-old son. "It made me want to cry be- cause it was stuff I really need- ed so bad," she said. "Then we sat and prayed together. That was something I definitely needed." Life may never be the same after the flood. "A lot of good came out of it. It really brought me closer to God in a lot of ways," she said. "It also really completely ru- ined my life in a lot of ways." Without flood insurance, Quesenberry has spent an es- timated $50,000 to gut and remodel her two-story home. After moving back a month ago, she said there's still a stench from the 8-foot-high waters that carried sewage water and debris into the neighborhood. Mud still spots the streets and BY JULIE FILBY Last year from Sept. 11-15, rain dumped on northern Colorado causing devastating flooding and mudslides. Nine lives were lost, thousands were evacuated, and when the skies cleared, 19,000 homes had been damaged or destroyed. Twenty-four counties were declared disaster areas, the hardest hit: Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties. Catholic Charities of the Arch- diocese of Denver sprung into action with three disaster relief centers, established in conjunc- tion with Catholic Charities USA, Sept. 16: St. Mary Church in Greeley, St. John the Evangelist in Loveland and Our Lady of the Valley in Windsor. There teams of employees and volunteers dis - tributed truckloads of food, wa- ter, cleaning supplies, blankets, hygiene products, medical sup- plies, gift cards and coats, seven days a week for several weeks, to help get people back on their feet. Charities' recovery efforts con- tinue today, according to Diane Elio, emergency assistance and disaster recovery manager—in coordination with several agen- cies—and will for at least two more years. "I hope that this anniversa- ry date is a reminder of what happened," Elio told the Den- ver Catholic Register. "When the cameras quit rolling, or the next disaster happens, sometimes people can be forgotten. "We've still got a long way to go," she added. Catholic Charities of Den- ver has disbursed $500,000 in flood-related financial support in the last year, as well as hired extra personnel to aid recovery: 15 case managers, three supervi- sors, two construction managers and five administrative staffers. "Two reasons we've been able to do as much as we have," Elio said, "was the help from Catholic Charities USA and the grant with the state." Kim Burgo, senior director for disaster response operations with Catholic Charities USA in Alexandria, Va., traveled to Col- orado last September to help the local agency get operations established. Then in November, they awarded the local Charities affiliate a $1.8 million grant to provide direct assistance. In May, Charities signed a grant agreement with the State of Colorado Department of Public Safety's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Man- agement for nearly $1.9 million to help fund hiring of additional case managers. At this point, Charities has 100 cases open with families in need of assistance. In addition, agen- cies they are working with—in- cluding the St. Vincent de Paul Society, United Methodist Com- mittee on Relief, Salvation Army, United Way, Episcopal Church, Lutheran Church, and county and state agencies—have 433 cases open, bringing the total to 533. Since last September, 188 of their cases have been closed, meaning the individual or house- hold got the help they needed or found other resources. The biggest needs, according to Elio, are rent, mortgage and utility assistance as some strug- gle to maintain two households, plus debris removal and con- struction costs. "Some are still couch surfing, or staying with friends or family," Elio said of those who lost their homes. "We're trying to relieve some of their financial stress." While early estimates put over- all damage at $2 billion, recov- ery is too far from being over to know. "We've still got a lot to do," she said, adding that they are grate- ful to donors and supporters. "Please keep us in your prayers." For more information, vis- it www.ccdenver.org or call 303-742-0828. Lives destroyed in five days not rebuilt so quickly Colorado's 100-year flood, one year later CATHOLIC CHARITIES Flood Recovery Hotline 1-844-531-2345 GRAPHIC BY DANIEL PETTY/THE DENVER POST RAIN totals during Front Range flooding September 2013. Flood From Page 1 MAURICO and Claudia Corona's mobile home the worst-hit by flood waters. The family has PHOTO PROVIDED THE CORONA family in Greeley received a washer and dryer. PHOTO BY JOSHUA POLSON/THE GREELEY TRIBUNE

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