News

SWCO Floods Resources
November 9, 2026

DOLA Resources

Districts can reach out to DOLA Regional Managers for assistance or to their DHSEM Field Managers with questions or requests.

The DOLA regional manager page is https://dlg.colorado.gov/regional-managers and the DHSEM Field Manager page is https://dhsem.colorado.gov/fieldoperations.

COVOAD COORDINATION CALL SCHEDULE

COVOAD coordination calls will be paused over the weekend and will resume on Monday, 11/9 at 11:00AM MST.

Our tentative plan is to convene coordination calls next week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Coordination Call Meeting Link: https://meet.google.com/dwc-syem-tzx

EMERGENCY AIRBNB NON-CONGREGATE LODGING UPDATE

To ensure that survivors can continue to access emergency lodging support while mandatory evacuations start to lift, 211 Colorado and Airbnb have expanded their eligibility.

“Beneficiaries must be individuals or families whose primary residence has been made uninhabitable or inaccessible as a result of the southwest Colorado floods and who are experiencing financial hardship or are in need of emergency housing.”

Appreciation to 211 Colorado and Airbnb for pivoting and ensuring survivors continue to find help.

SITUATION REPORT & IMPACT REPORTING

To highlight our impact as a network and support government in their declarations, please continue to submit your statistics.

Please remember to submit daily volunteer hours, meals, water, and kits via the COVOAD SitRep Form to reduce local government cost-share match requirements.

To better tell your story, please remember to send us pictures of your teams in action! Email pictures to ColoradoVOAD@gmail.com

DISASTER ASSISTANCE CENTER (DAC) UPDATES

State partners at DOLA are collaborating with County Emergency Management across southern Colorado to open Multi-Agency Disaster Assistance Centers (DACs) to support flood-impacted households. COVOAD flyers for all active agencies and 211 Colorado tabling items are staged at the Conejos DAC, Rio Grande DAC, and Archuleta DAC.

  • KEY DAC UPDATES -

  • The Conejos County DAC and Rio Grande County DAC will close after Saturday. We will notify the membership if/when similar operations resume in these counties

  • A DAC in La Plata County will be opening at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. starting Saturday. If possible, please direct resources to additionally support these efforts.

DAC operating days/times are subject to change. COVOAD will keep you in the loop on DAC plans. * Colorado Responds Resources including all DAC locations: https://coresponds.org/26swfloods/

  • The DACs that are opening welcome cleanup kits, comfort kits, food boxes, water, firewood, and other applicable items for distribution.

  • No formal pre-registration is required for a VOAD organization to be present and provide services. When you arrive, please check in with the DAC’s on-site leadership.

  • DOLA and county staff are managing each DAC. The American Red Cross is providing volunteers to assist with general oversight and registration.

DAC LOCATIONS AND HOURS

  • Archuleta County DAC 538 Village Drive, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 Thursday, Nov 5 through Saturday, Nov 7, 11am - 6pm daily

  • Conejos County DAC Knights of Columbus Hall, 521 Spruce Street, La Jara, CO 81140 Wednesday, Nov 4 through Saturday, Nov 7, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm

  • Rio Grande County DAC High Valley Community Center (old middle school gym), 810 Oak Street, Del Norte Wednesday, Nov 4 through Saturday, Nov 7, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm daily

  • La Plata County DAC La Plata Fairgrounds. Opening on Saturday. 117, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm daily (tentative)

COVOAD Table Flyer Distribution Offering: If your agency cannot send staff in person but offers disaster services to impacted residents, email coloradovoad@gmail.com with your resource flyers/details, and COVOAD leadership will feature your materials on the official COVOAD resource table that will be available at each DAC location.

CLEANUP AGENCY COORDINATION

Thank you to all our cleanup agencies coordinating their deployments and mobilization efforts. We will continue to meet and align on critical impact zones, damage areas, and agency deployment plans. In today’s meeting, multiple partners highlighted that they expect more and more people to learn about and register for support on Crisis Cleanup.

Thank you to our members and partners who are mobilizing, coordinating, and serving: Team Rubicon Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (CBDR) Mennonite Disaster Services (MDS) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Left Hand Rotary Club

Please continue to direct property owners who need cleanup help to: SW COLORADO FLOODS CLEANUP HOTLINE : (970) 283-7325

COMMUNITY RELIEF GUIDANCE

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT - TEAM UP

Colorado VOAD is directing unsolicited volunteers for the Southwest Colorado flood response to www.teamupvolunteers.org. Please refer members of the public there. A single intake and matching process keeps the response coordinated and helps prevent unaffiliated volunteers from showing up in impacted areas without assignments.

Organizations needing volunteers can post their needs, locations, schedules, and skill requirements through Agency Signup. Matched volunteers connect directly with the requesting organization, which handles assignment, onboarding, supervision, and safety.

Emergency managers, PIOs, and local government partners are encouraged to use this same message and link in public communications so the statewide volunteer message stays consistent.

Thank you for helping keep the volunteer response coordinated and safe.

LONG-TERM RECOVERY - EARLY GUIDANCE

While we are still in response and cleanup, as DACs come online, damage assessment is picking up speed, and we are getting a clearer picture of damage across the region, we are already having early conversations about supporting impacted communities in forming long-term recovery groups.

To gather interest and encourage local community organizations to engage in the coming months with long-term recovery, please direct them to the following link: https://bit.ly/COVOADLocalRecoveryInterestForm

If your organization has the capacity to participate in any of these LTRGs as they come together, please fill out the linked form as well.

Please direct any long-term recovery-related questions to ColoradoVOAD@gmail.com

IN-KIND DONATIONS GUIDANCE

Food - Nonperishable food items should be directed to local food pantries or Care and Share of Southern Colorado Non-Food Items - Items such as clothes, household items, or appliances are being directed to local thrift stores, which will distribute clothing and household items via voucher programs so impacted residents can access donated items.

Suggested Public Messaging on Donations Guidance “While all donations are appreciated, cash is best. Financial gifts to recognized disaster relief organizations are the fastest, most flexible way to help, and unsolicited goods have to be stored and sorted at a time when responders need to focus on response and recovery. Please confirm the need before collecting or dropping off items.”

QUICK LINKS & RESOURCES

Please contact COVOAD anytime at ColoradoVOAD@gmail.com.