SUPERIOR, Colo. — Survivors of the Marshall Fire said they haven't received any response from a county program designed to connect them with resources -- including donated rebuilding funds -- two weeks after the recovery navigation service opened.
Meeting with a Boulder County recovery navigator is the only way fire victims can receive a portion of millions of dollars donated to help them rebuild their homes or for other unmet needs seven months after the devastating wildfire.
"We lie awake at night wondering how we're going to afford to rebuild our house as it stood the day before the fire," said Robin Maclaughlin, whose Superior home burned in the fire.
Like many fire survivors, insurance will only cover part of the cost of her rebuilding effort.
Every day for the past two weeks, Maclaughlin said she has tried to call a recovery navigator to find out how much of the donated money she can rely on for the rebuild. She has not yet received a response.
"It feels like you’re screaming into the dark night with no answer," she said.
Boulder County Recovery and Resiliency Project Manager Katie Arrington said 305 people have reached out to navigators since the program began on July 25. Another 164 people were referred to the program through outreach calls.
"Staff are systematically working their way through the high volume of calls to make call-backs and schedule initial appointments," Arrington said. "Due to the high volume of inquiries and limited staffing, call-backs are expected to take a few weeks, and we appreciate everyone's patience and understanding."
She asked people to not call the navigation program multiple times, as that slows down response times.
"The program is not yet fully staffed and, in order to provide quality service, some work hours are devoted to in-depth training in areas such as recovery resources, funding resources, FEMA, and insurance, among other topics," Arrington said in an email.
The CEO of the Community Foundation of Boulder, which collected the millions of dollars in donations, said distributing the money is a county responsibility.
"We just sent the money to them and they're working directly with the individuals," Tatiana Hernandez said. "We’re working through making sure folks are prioritized based on what their needs are and the urgency of their needs, but absolutely everyone will be able to access those resources."
Hernandez said, on average, recovery from disasters like the Marshall Fire typically takes years.
"This is the pace of recovery," she said. "We are exactly where we should be -- and in some ways, we're ahead of the curve in our community."
"It’s hard to swallow that, but that’s the reality of what recovery is," Hernandez said.
That's little comfort to Maclaughlin.
"The clock is ticking," she said. "We don't have the answers we need, and seven months to be without your home is a long time."
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