Electra Theodorides-Bustle Appointed Colorado DHSEM Chief of Staff

The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is pleased to announce the appointment of Electra Theodorides-Bustle as the Chief of Staff. She joins the division on August 15, 2016.

Electra Theodorides-Bustle comes to DHSEM with an extensive and diverse career that has included over 15 years of state and local executive, legal, and policy making positions in public safety. Theodorides-Bustle has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and received her Juris Doctorate from Florida State University, College of Law.

Theodorides-Bustle started her public safety career with the Florida Sheriffs Association in 1989, first as a law clerk and later as the Deputy General Counsel. Following FSA, she served as an Assistant General Counsel for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and General Counsel for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and legal counsel to the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation and the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives. After receiving her certification as a law enforcement officer, she also served as a Captain and Major with the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office.

In 2004 she joined the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as the Legislative Affairs Director and later become the Chief of Staff and Assistant Commissioner for the Department overseeing critical areas including administrative services, legislative affairs, sexual predator registry, Capitol Police, criminal justice officer records and discipline, and the State’s criminal history and fingerprint databases In 2007, she was appointed by Florida’s Governor and Cabinet as Executive Director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which included the Florida Highway Patrol, the Division of Driver Licensing, and the Division of Motor Vehicles.

She is currently a government relations consultant representing criminal justice clients, such as the Florida Sheriffs Association.

Theodorides-Bustle has also been active in the community serving on several boards including the Florida Missing Children’s Day Foundation, the Northeast Florida Safety Council and Last Hope Rescue, a Tallahassee based dog rescue.

She is married to Dennis Bustle, an almost 40 year law enforcement veteran. They enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, biking and skiing, which makes Colorado a perfect place to make their new home. 

News Release: Additional Colorado Counties Approved For Disaster Aid

News release from State-FEMA Joint Field Office supporting DR-4229.

Local governments in Adams, Boulder, and Park Counties and the City and County of Denver are now eligible to receive federal assistance for some of their costs incurred during this spring’s storms, according to state and federal officials.

The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that the counties had been added to the disaster declaration issued by President Obama on July 16, 2015 for 11 counties as the result of the severe storms, tornadoes, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that occurred between May 4 and June 16, 2015.

The disaster declaration for Baca, Elbert, El Paso, Fremont, Logan, Morgan, Pueblo, Saguache, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma counties made state, county, and local governments, as well as certain non-profit organizations, eligible to receive reimbursement for repairing infrastructure damage caused by the storms, as well as the cost of responding to them.

“The addition of these counties to Colorado’s disaster declaration means that under FEMA's Public Assistance Grant Program, qualified organizations in these counties will receive no less than 75 percent of the eligible costs incurred as a result of the disaster,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Dolph Diemont, head of FEMA’s recovery efforts in Colorado.

“We sincerely appreciate Administrator Fugate and FEMA for their prompt approval of our add-on county request. This opens the door for Federal assistance to these affected communities and ensures nobody is left behind,” said DHSEM Emergency Management Director Dana Reynolds.

The state and FEMA are working to schedule Applicants’ Briefings for officials of eligible entities and non-profit organizations in the newly declared counties. DHSEM will provide information on the application process, as well as deadlines for submission of necessary documents to receive federal reimbursement.

The Applicants’ Briefings may be followed by face-to-face meetings in local communities between FEMA, Colorado DHSEM officials and eligible applicants.

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Colorado DHSEM’s mission is to provide leadership and support to Colorado communities to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond and recover from all-hazard events including acts of terrorism.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Media Advisory: Statewide Flooding Event Prompts Additional Damage Assessments

July 28, 2015

DR-4229-CO MA001

Media Contacts:

FEMA – Laurie Hassell (303) 345-4711

State of Colorado PIO – Micki Trost (720) 432-2433

Media Advisory

Statewide Flooding Event Prompts Additional Damage Assessments

DENVER – The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have scheduled Preliminary Damage Assessments for several additional counties in Colorado as a result of the severe storms, tornadoes, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that occurred between May 4 and June 16, 2015.

Assessments are scheduled to begin Wednesday, July 29, in Boulder and Park Counties, Thursday, July 30, in Arapahoe and Denver Counties, and Tuesday, August 4 in Adams County. 

The assessment teams are comprised of federal, state and local emergency management officials who will conduct verified damage assessments. The findings will be provided to Governor John Hickenlooper’s office for review. 

The damage assessments are not a guarantee of a federal disaster declaration for these counties, but will be used by the Governor to determine if the damages warrant their addition to the DR-4229 major disaster declaration.

On July 16, President Obama issued a disaster declaration for Baca, Elbert, El Paso, Fremont, Logan, Morgan, Pueblo, Saguache, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma counties, making state, county, and local governments, as well as certain non-profit organizations, eligible to receive reimbursement for repairing infrastructure damage caused by the storms, as well as the cost of responding to them.

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Colorado DHSEM’s mission is to provide leadership and support to Colorado communities to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond and recover from all-hazard events including acts of terrorism.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. 

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News Release: Colorado Awarded Major Disaster Declaration

President Obama issued a major disaster declaration for the State of Colorado today.  The declaration triggers the release of Federal funds to help our Colorado communities recover from the Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides that occurred May 4 to June 16, 2015.  The current declaration includes 11 counties: Baca, Elbert, El Paso, Fremont, Logan, Morgan, Pueblo, Saguache, Sedgwick, Washington and Yuma.

The State has been awarded the Public Assistance and the Hazard Mitigation grant programs.  The Public Assistance program is for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.   The Hazard Mitigation program provides assistance for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.  All counties in Colorado are eligible to apply for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. 

“We are appreciative to the President for authorizing the major disaster declaration to the State of Colorado. It will bring much needed financial assistance to our community hit by the devastating spring storms.” said Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM)  Director Kevin Klein. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with FEMA during this recovery process.  Our staff is committed to our continued work with local jurisdictions to complete additional damage assessments in order to add the communities to this disaster declaration.”

This declaration allows additional designations to be made at a later date.  The Colorado DHSEM continues to work to conduct damage assessments in other areas of the state impacted by the spring storms. 

Media Release: State Emergency Operations Center Continues to Monitor Statewide Weather Impacts

The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) staff continue monitoring statewide weather conditions and impacts through a virtual State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activation. Staff began monitoring more than twelve hours ago. The State EOC remains in direct contact with local county emergency operations centers, emergency managers and emergency responders. The State EOC is briefing the governor and his staff as they closely follow the situation.

There have been no resource requests from local jurisdictions. Weather conditions have included everything from localized flooding to tornadoes and mudslides to expected snow.

DHSEM regional field managers have contacted each emergency manager impacted by weather conditions. The State EOC staff and regional field managers are working closely with eleven jurisdictions and their emergency operations centers, including:

• Carbon Valley (EOC activated)
• Cheyenne County
• Colorado Springs County
• Denver
• El Paso County
• Elbert County (EOC activated)
• Fountain
• Jefferson County (EOC activated)
• Larimer County (EOC deactivated)
• Logan County (EOC activated)
• Weld County
• State EOC (virtual EOC activation)

The State has committed resources from several agencies to provide support to local communities. These resources include:

• DHSEM Regional Field Managers
• Colorado State Patrol
• Colorado Department of Transportation
• DHSEM Public Information Officers
• Colorado National Guard is on standby

The State EOC and Colorado DHSEM will continue to share updates on our website at www.COEmergency.com, @COEmergency on Twitter, COEmergency on Facebook. Preparedness information is posted on our READYColorado platforms at www.READYColorado.com, @READYColorado on Twitter and READYColorado on Facebook.

BREAKING NEWS: Ouray County Mine Accident

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Ouray County, Colorado     1:45 p.m.

Ouray County, Colorado: At approximately 7:20 a.m. this morning, the Ouray County sheriff received a call from 911 dispatch that there was an incident at the Revenue Virginius mine requiring response. The Sheriff’s office, along with Ouray Fire District, and Ouray County EMS responded.

At this time, we can report that 20 people have been taken to various hospitals in the region. One person was reportedly in critical condition and was taken to Montrose Memorial Hospital. An additional nine people were transported by ambulance to Montrose Memorial; five persons were transported to Delta Memorial Hospital; and five people were taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction.

We do not have any updated information about the condition of those 20 miners, nor identities of those miners. A rescue is currently underway for two miners who remain underground but accessible. We have no information about their condition or identities.

Star Mine Operations, LLC, the owner of the mine, has confirmed that they have accounted for all personnel who were on site. The Company is also in the process of contacting the listed emergency contacts of the miners who have been transported to the various hospitals. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is involved and on-site.

As we have additional information, we will provide updates. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those who were involved in this tragic accident.

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Press contact: Marti Whitmore 303-886-0597