The Aspen Acres Fire forever changed Beulah.

Our community lost 193 homes, families were displaced, and small businesses suffered devastating losses. While our community has shown extraordinary resilience, recovery will take years without every available state, federal, and local resource.

We respectfully call upon Governor Jared Polis, the Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Colorado’s Congressional Delegation, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and all other appropriate agencies to take every action available to accelerate Beulah’s recovery.

Specifically, we ask our leaders to:

1. Secure all available disaster declarations and recovery designations.

Take every action necessary to obtain any remaining state and federal disaster declarations, designations, or approvals that would expand assistance for Beulah residents, businesses, nonprofits, and local government, including:

An SBA Administrative Disaster Declaration or any other SBA disaster assistance declaration for which the community qualifies.
Any declarations, designations, or actions necessary to make Beulah eligible for the Colorado Disaster Resilience Rebuilding Program (DRRP), if additional state action is required.
Any additional state or federal recovery declarations that increase financial assistance, technical assistance, or rebuilding resources.

2. Expedite rebuilding through emergency land-use authority.

We respectfully request that Pueblo County utilize every lawful authority available under Colorado law, including the Local Government Land Use Control Enabling Act where applicable, to adopt temporary emergency land-use measures that support disaster recovery, including:

Emergency zoning measures.
Temporary development moratoriums or emergency ordinances where they facilitate coordinated rebuilding.
Streamlined permitting and inspections.
Temporary flexibility in land-use regulations where legally appropriate.
Expedited review of rebuilding applications for homes and businesses destroyed by the Aspen Acres Fire.

3. Remove unnecessary barriers to recovery.

Families who lost everything should not face avoidable bureaucratic delays while trying to rebuild their homes and lives. We ask every level of government to coordinate recovery efforts and remove unnecessary administrative obstacles wherever the law allows.

Why this matters

Beulah is more than a collection of structures.

It is a historic mountain community, a place where neighbors know one another, small businesses serve as gathering places, and generations of families have built their lives.

Every day that rebuilding is delayed is another day families remain displaced, businesses struggle to survive, and our community’s future becomes more uncertain.

The people of Beulah have done everything they can.

Now we ask our leaders to use every legal authority and every available recovery resource to help us rebuild.

Please sign this petition and stand with Beulah.

#BeulahStrong