Gov. Bill Ritter will fly today with key aides to tornado-ravaged Holly to assess "the breadth and depth of the disaster."

Ritter said seeing the damage first-hand will help him decide whether to make a state disaster declaration required to trigger federal relief funding.

"We’ll make our assessment and begin immediately to look at what things we need to do both at the federal level and at the state level to try and assist the people of Holly," Ritter said at the bill signing.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency "already has a disaster team en route to make its assessment," he added.

Ritter will fly to Lamar with Colorado Department of Public Safety Executive Director Peter Weir and Department of Local Affairs Executive Director Susan Kirkpatrick, then drive to Holly.

"We know that there was a fatality. There were several people who were injured," said the governor, adding that some patients where taken by ambulance to a Lamar hospital while others were air-lifted to Colorado Springs facilities.