Pueblo mayor can now call weather emergencies year-round for floods, fires or frigid temps
Pueblo City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Monday that allows the mayor to declare a temporary weather emergency throughout the year so churches and other religious edifices can shelter people in need.
The emergency weather declaration can now be called by Mayor Heather Graham at any point during the year. Previously, the mayor could only declare one between October and March in 2023 and 2024, when the ordinance was active and Pueblo experienced cold weather. Monday’s emergency ordinance amended the previous one.
The latest amendment is partially in response to a fire that broke out at Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel mill earlier this month and billowed plumes of dark smoke in the area. Last year’s flooding in parts of Fountain Creek that affected nearly 100 unhoused people also was a consideration when drafting the latest amendment, said Haley Sue Robinson, director of public affairs for the city.
Both events occurred beyond March 31, thus outside the window of the previous ordinance. The mayor can’t legally make an emergency declaration if it is not active.
The declaration suspends city zoning and building codes so churches and other religious structures can be used as temporary shelters. It’s predominantly used during the winter to shelter people from the cold, but the city wants the ability to call it during instances of fires, floods, or any other natural or man-made disasters that could affect Puebloans, Robinson said.
Graham told city council on Monday that the ordinance could be “dealing with the loss of life,” which is why it was introduced in emergency form.
“You have to plan when things are calm rather than merely react when you’re in an emergency situation,” Robinson said. “That’s why it was an emergency ordinance, because the problem is, we can’t wait for when we do have an emergency.”
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During last year’s flooding of Fountain Creek, the Pueblo Fire Department helped evacuate about 10 people, some of whom were separated from dry land but not fully submerged in water. There were no reported injuries or loss of life.
The flood, however, reached unhoused individuals' camps and washed their belongings downriver, including the tents they used for shelter, according to multiple accounts given at the time to local homeless advocates.
The Evraz Fire prompted pre-evacuation notices and air quality public health advisories. Residents in the surrounding area were asked to shelter in place because of air quality concerns.
Pueblo previously amended the emergency weather ordinance twice: first to backdate it to November, then to do so once again to October. Graham has shown a willingness this year to make the declaration even when Pueblo isn’t expected to receive its harshest bouts of cold weather.
Declaring a temporary weather emergency does not cost the city any money.
Chieftain reporter Josué Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Mayor Graham can now declare weather emergencies year-round
