Trump Denies Colorado Disaster Aid Appeal

FORT COLLINS, Colorado President Donald Trump has denied Colorado Governor Jared Polis's appeal for federal disaster aid to support recovery from wildfires and flooding that struck the state last year, upholding an initial rejection from December.

The decision, announced Monday by FEMA acting administrator Karen S. Evans in letters to Polis, blocks access to public assistance funds for debris cleanup and infrastructure repairs, as well as hazard mitigation grants to enhance community resilience. Polis, a Democrat, had requested major disaster declarations for wildfires that burned 240 square miles in western Colorado, including the Elk and Lee fires in Rio Blanco County that scorched more than 137,000 acres and caused an estimated $27.5 million in damage. The request also covered severe flooding in southern counties such as La Plata, Archuleta and Mineral, which resulted in $13.8 million in infrastructure losses from swollen rivers and streams in October.

State officials described the events as among the most destructive in recent history, with the combined fires ranking as the fourth-largest in Colorado records and damaging critical utilities like high-voltage transmission...