Colorado § 24-33.5-1106 - Grants to individuals.

§ 24-33.5-1106. Grants to individuals.

(1) Whenever the governor has declared a major disaster to exist in this state, he or she is authorized, upon making a determination that financial assistance is essential to meet disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs of individuals or families adversely affected by a major disaster which cannot be otherwise adequately met from other means of assistance, to accept a grant from the federal government to fund such financial assistance, subject to such terms and conditions as may be imposed upon the grant.

(2) Notwithstanding any other law or rule, the governor is authorized to make financial grants to meet disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs of individuals or families adversely affected by a major disaster which cannot otherwise adequately be met from other means of assistance.

(3) The office of emergency management created in 24-33.5-705 shall coordinate with the governor's office, federal agencies, other state agencies, local governments, and philanthropic entities as determined by the office to ensure disaster individual assistance is delivered in a coordinated effort and to avoid duplication of benefits.

(4) (a) The office of emergency management shall, in collaboration with the department of local affairs created in section 24-1-125 and the Colorado energy office created in section 24-38.5-101, implement and maintain a disaster survivor portal for disaster survivors to apply for approved state disaster individual assistance. The portal may provide disaster survivors with a coordinated method to access appropriate benefits, including federal benefit programs, approved state disaster individual assistance benefits, the disaster resilience rebuilding program created in 24-32-134, and the sustainable rebuilding program created in 24-38.5-115. The portal may ensure equitable access to program information including communications in the relevant languages of the community and equitable hearing, sight, and physical accessibility. Local governments and philanthropic entities may operate their own disaster survivor portals in coordination with the office of emergency management.

(b) Information concerning disaster survivors in the portal created in subsection (4)(a) of this section is exempt from disclosure required pursuant to the "Colorado Open Records Act", part 2 of article 72 of this title 24.

(c) The office of emergency management may share aggregated disaster recovery data, including portal data, mapping data, program performance metrics, and federal disaster program data with local and state agencies, volunteer organizations, and federal partners to facilitate coordinated recovery planning and resource allocation. The office of emergency management may share aggregated disaster recovery data, including portal data, mapping data, program performance metrics, and federal disaster program data with the press and the public.

Source: L. 2012: Entire part RC&RE with relocations, (HB 12-1283), ch. 240, p. 1103, § 10, effective July 1. L. 2014: Entire section amended, (HB 14-1004), ch. 11, p. 103, § 3, effective February 27. L. 2022: (2) amended and (3) and (4) added, (SB 22-206), ch. 173, p. 1157, § 6, effective May 17. L. 2026: (4) amended, (HB 26-1252), ch. 382, p. 2376, § 3, effective August 12.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 24-32-2506 as it existed prior to 2012.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 22-206, see section 1 of chapter 173, Session Laws of Colorado 2022.