Hazard Mitigation and Resiliency
Hazards are occurring more frequently and with greater severity in Colorado, a trend experts believe will continue. Historic resources often are present in or near areas that are potentially subject to hazards such as floodplains, steep slopes, or areas prone to wildfire.
For instance, historic resources tend to be especially vulnerable to flooding due in part to historic growth patterns, which encouraged development along or near waterways. Unlike less predictable hazards such as tornadoes and wildfires, areas prone to flooding can be mapped and modeled, giving communities with those capabilities the ability to identify potential threats before they occur. Preliminary work in Certified Local Government (CLG) communities indicates that at least 35% of the state’s 57 CLG communities include historic resources within a floodplain (although this does not include counties where flood data is currently unavailable).
Existing tools available to communities to reduce the risk from hazards, such as hazard mitigation plans, often do not account specifically for historic resources, and likewise historic preservation plans rarely recognize natural hazards as potential threats. It tends to only be after a disaster has occurred that the vulnerability of historic resources is realized. More proactive strategies are needed to protect historic resources from the impacts of hazards. Early identification of those historic resources most exposed to natural hazards can help ensure mitigation strategies are developed and adequate safeguards put in place to preserve these significant, one-of-a-kind assets.
Acknowledging the importance of protecting historic resources from natural hazards, as well as restoring them if damaged following a hazard event, the new State Tax Credit program for historic rehabilitation approved by the legislature in 2014 includes special provisions for communities affected by natural disasters. Applications for projects located in counties affected by state or federal disaster declarations within the past 6 years are now eligible for an additional 5 percent, on top of the tax credit amount they would otherwise receive. The State Historical Fund also offers emergency stabilization grants of up to $10,000 to designated historic properties damaged due to unforeseeable events, such as natural disasters. In another response to recent hazard events in the state, Colorado’s Certified Local Governments organized to review and reflect upon their experiences during the 2013 floods in order to more efficiently react to and plan for future disasters. The Colorado Cultural and Historic Resources Task Force was formed as a result to capture and coordinate the expertise and experience of a wide array stakeholders.