Roosevelt Fire Disaster Recovery

[Cover photo courtesy of Hoback Ranches resident of their own home who felt strongly that we use the photo in order to show the devastation of this disaster to families and not just wildlands]

[Second image is a satellite view of the Roosevelt Fire]

The Bondurant, Wyoming area is in the midst of experiencing a devastating disaster. The Roosevelt Fire continues on through the heart of the Bondurant community. Over 150 homes have been evacuated and to date approximately 50% of homes assessed by the Sublette County Sheriff's Office have been completely lost. The disaster continues as the community begins to enter into recovery mode and prepare for the difficult winter ahead and all of the loss and challenges that the fire will bring. For decades the the Bondurant Community Club  has served as the place for the community to gather and support each other. This fundraising page is the official page for the Roosevelt Fire Disaster Recovery effort and the official way to support those in the Bondurant community that have experienced loss. 100% of all money donated will be distributed to people that have experienced loss and to rebuilding core infrastructure for the community. Distributions will be done so under the auspices of the Pinedale Lions Club , supported by the Bondurant Community Club, and the Bondurant Community. All distributions will be made in a systematic and transparent way. We need your help to get this community back on track to longer term recovery.

Highlights on why we need your financial support:

1. Bondurant is a small community with many retired people on fixed incomes that are now faced with financial distress.

2. Many people are under-insured or uninsured as a result of either high insurance premiums that they are unable to afford or from being dropped by insurance carriers after they had moved in with an insurance policy years ago.

3. While we have had extraordinary immediate and short term support, the road to recovery will be a long one and people will need financial assistance in order to keep this community together as we recover.

4. The news media has often portrayed Bondurant as a "second home" or "summer home" community. While there are some people that do have summer homes in the area, there are hundreds of full time/permanent residents that will experience loss. Funds will be disbursed according to need with primary residences treated as priority #1.

5. Hoback Ranches, where a majority of the devastation has occurred, self-funds all infrastructure. For instance, there are over 26 miles of roads that need to be repaired and restored from heavy fire fighting equipment and the coming erosion damage caused by the fire.

6. Although this is a disaster in the truest sense and the largest loss of homes in a single event in Wyoming, it does not qualify as an official disaster from the county, state, or federal government. We are on our own.


Things this money will be spent on:

1. Covering under-insured and uninsured people for rebuilding, repairing, furniture and other fundamentals.



2. Securing temporary housing for people that need it through the winter and through the recovery period.



3. Equipment, labor, and supplies to enable people to re-enter and stay safely in their homes on an ongoing basis in the face of compromised infrastructure and utilities.



4. Ensuring safety for the community and to individuals, including landslide mitigation, road repair and damage mitigation, labor and equipment for cutting down dangerous trees, and clearing debris from roads and people's properties.

If you prefer to give directly to the Lions Club for the Roosevelt Fire to avoid fees you can go the following URL https://www.lionsofwyomingfoundation.org/donate.html and select the donate button for the Roosevelt Fire.

Tax deduction donation letters will come from the Lions of Wyoming Foundation. If people prefer to write checks, they should be made out to "Lions of Wyoming Foundation" with a memo stating "Roosevelt Fire" and mailed to Lions of Wyoming Foundation, 224 Talon Ct., Cheyenne, WY 82009.