Philanthropic Sector Mounts Flood Relief Effort for Colorado

We have been continuing to follow the floods in Colorado and the response from the philanthropic community and donors. Here is a quick run-down of the situation:

• There are six confirmed fatalities (FEMA just announced this revised number) and 200 people unaccounted for, many of them in mountainous areas, and unreachable by telephone.
• About 13,500 people were evacuated and 26 shelters were opened.
• Close to 3,000 homes, 500 businesses and 5,000 other minor structures have been destroyed.
• Flash floods remained a threat to about 20,000 homes.
• Emergency responders continue to make airlift rescues of people now that the rain has stopped.
• The community and the nation are coming together to support the victims, making commitments to immediate relief and long-term recovery.

Below we have listed a few of the organizations that have announced their support:

• The Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld County and the United Way of Weld County have teamed together to help in long-term recovery efforts. Donations can be made to the Weld County Flood Relief Fund through either organization.
• The Community Foundation of Northern Colorado has established three, long-term recovery funds.
• The Foothills Flood Relief Fund has been established in response to the impact of the severe flooding across Boulder and Broomfield counties.
• The Larimer County of The United Way established a Flood Relief Fund in 2012, and will use any gifts made after September 2013 for relief from the September floods and recovery.
• The Western Union Foundation is raising money for Colorado Relief.

You can also find a list of NGOs responding to the disaster at www.HelpColoradoNow.org

We are working on some additional content for our website, including a new blog post. Once complete, we’ll send you another update. In the meantime, please share your updates with us. You can direct any updates to me directly or to NGOresponse@disasterphilanthropy.org