More Than $185 Million in FEMA Funds Have Assisted Souris Valley

MINOT, N.D. – In the two years since historic flooding struck the Souris Valley in North Dakota, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided more than $185 million in assistance to help the region recover. This is funding that has gone directly to residents or local communities to restore homes or damaged public infrastructure, as well as enact measures that will lessen the impact of future disasters. The agency also manages a program that provided temporary housing for more than 2,100 households, and is still assisting residents today.

   

North Dakota received a federal disaster declaration on May 10, 2011, for statewide flooding. The initial declaration provided funding for public infrastructure. As flooding intensified, the declaration was expanded on June 24, 2011, to provide assistance to individuals and businesses as well. A total of 44 of 53 North Dakota counties were included as well as four tribal nations. FEMA continues to maintain a presence in the Souris Valley, with approximately 50 personnel still in the region, with additional support coming from the regional office in Denver.

   

FEMA received 8,256 applications for assistance from residents of the Souris Valley, representing about 80 percent of the 10,286 total for the state. Similarly, the $91.2 million distributed to residents for rental assistance, home repairs and other serious disaster-related needs represents 95 percent of the total $95.8 million for the state.

   

In addition, FEMA brought in nearly 2,200 manufactured housing units to provide housing for those displaced by the flood. More than 1,100 of those were place on private properties, allowing homeowners to stay near their damaged dwellings to make repairs. Units also were placed at five manufactured housing parks in Ward County. Three temporary housing sites were also constructed, including the 600unit Virgil Workman Village – which is the only one remaining in operation – still housing approximately 200 households.

   

Of the nearly $242 million approved statewide for infrastructure assistance following the 2011 floods, nearly $90 million was provided to the four Souris Valley counties (Ward, Renville, McHenry and Bottineau). Among the larger recipients of assistance were: the city of Minot – $8.6 million; the city of Burlington – $1.6 million, the Minot Park District – $3 million and Ward County (including townships) – $10.3 million.

 

The largest beneficiary of public assistance funds is the Minot Public Schools. FEMA is providing $24.5 million to replace Erik Ramstad Middle School and $5 million to replace Lincoln Elementary School. FEMA also has provided an additional $25 million for activities ranging from emergency protective measures to building repairs at other locations to temporary classrooms to replace offline facilities. The temporary classrooms were provided within 10 days of the planned starting date for the 2011-12 school year and are still in use.

   

Thus far, more than $4 million in funding from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) has been provided to the Souris Valley. Funding has been provided for generators, home acquisitions, mitigation planning, and engineering, permitting, and design work for a floodwall to protect the Minot Water Treatment Plant. HMGP provides funding for projects that seek to minimize the impact of future disasters, and is administered by the state. More than $70 million was provided by FEMA to North Dakota for projects statewide, with additional projects still under consideration.

FEMA also engaged its Long Term Community Recovery team in Ward County. Members of the public participated in a series of meetings to voice their views about the future of their communities. The information gathered at the meetings was used to develop the “Souris Basin Regional Recovery Strategy,” which was adopted by Ward County and the cities of Burlington and Minot.

   

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More Than $185 Million in FEMA Funds Have Assisted Souris Valley

Severe Weather Serves as Warning to Prepare

Severe Weather Serves as Warning to Prepare 

Release Date: June 8, 2012
Release Number: R8-12-010

» 2012 Region VIII News Releases

DENVER, Co. — A spate of severe weather-related events across the northern Rockies and Great Plains states serves as a reminder to citizens to be prepared for natural disasters.

“We have had fires, tornadoes, hail and flooding all in the past 24 hours,” said Regional Administrator Robin Finegan of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Denver. “It is also the 40th anniversary of the Rapid City, South Dakota flood, the 10th anniversary of the Colorado Hayman fire, and coming up on the first anniversary of the Souris River flood in North Dakota. Nature is giving us an important message about preparing for what may come.”

Finegan pointed to recent events as evidence of the need for preparation:

  • Tornadoes touched down Thursday in Wyoming and Colorado. A tornado in southeastern Wyoming damaged 11 homes, injured one person and overturned four railroad cars, according to state emergency officials. The same system unleashed large hail in Wheatland and Laramie, Wyoming, plus up to three possible tornadoes that damaged 12 homes and injured one in Colorado, according to officials there. Hail was reported in Colorado in Weld and El Paso counties.
  • Storms in Colorado on Wednesday produced five tornadoes and hail up to eight inches deep.
  • Heavy rains in North Dakota Thursday resulted in flash flooding in McLean and Montrail counties, according to state emergency officials. More than six inches of rain fell near Parshall.
  • Severe weather is expected again Friday in eastern Montana and western North Dakota.
  • Firefighters continue fighting a 6,000-acre wildfire in the Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming, and a 227-acre wildfire in northern Colorado, plus smaller fires in Colorado, Montana and Utah.
  • Red Flag fire warnings are in effect for parts of Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.
  • Today is the 40th anniversary of the flood in Rapid City, South Dakota, that killed 238 people, destroyed more than 1,300 homes, and caused an estimated $165 million in damage throughout the Black Hills.
  • Today is also the 10th anniversary of the start of the Hayman fire, the largest wildfire in Colorado history. The fire burned for six weeks, destroyed 215 square miles and 132 homes, and cost $238 million to fight. The state’s second-largest fire in history, the Missionary Ridge fire near Durango, started the day after the Hayman fire started and burned about half as much land.
  • June 22 will mark one year after the Souris River flood that damaged large portions of Minot, Burlington, and other parts of Ward County in North Dakota.

“Those headlines all tell us one thing – be prepared,” says Finegan. “Make a disaster plan that addresses the risks you and your family are most likely to face, put together a disaster kit, and stay informed as situations develop.”

A wide assortment of information on preparing yourself and your family for natural disasters is available online at www.ready.gov and www.redcross.org.

Key things to consider when making an emergency plan:

  • Families should put together a disaster plan. Everyone should know their evacuation routes and identify a site away from the disaster area where the family can meet.
  • It’s important to prepare an emergency supply kit that includes a battery-powered radio, nonperishable food, bottled water, a flashlight with extra batteries and essential prescription medicine. Also, consider putting together a kit to keep in the car.
  • Everyone should heed all local warnings from local and state officials. Don’t put yourself or first responders at risk. If you are told to evacuate, do so
  • Assess how your company functions, both internally and externally, to determine which staff, materials, procedures and equipment are critical to keep the business operating. Plan what you will do if your building, plant or store is not accessible.
  • Buy flood insurance to protect yourself financially. Contact your insurance agent for more information on a policy that is right for your level of risk, and visit www.floodsmart.gov for more information about flood insurance.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders and 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.

Last Modified: Monday, 11-Jun-2012 12:32:17

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Severe Weather Serves as Warning to Prepare

Fact Sheet: FEMA Individual Assistance in the Souris Valley

Fact Sheet: FEMA Individual Assistance in the Souris Valley 

Release Date: June 11, 2012
Release Number: 1981-AFS002

» More Information on North Dakota Flooding

» 2012 Region VIII News Releases

Individual Assistance Programs

  • Residents of nine North Dakota counties and one reservation were able to register for individual assistance with FEMA;
  • Statewide 10,286 individuals or households registered for assistance in the IA designated counties;
  • In total, more than $95 million has been provided; $93.4 million for rental assistance or home repair, and $2.1 million in other needs assistance;
    • In the three Souris Valley counties (McHenry, Renville and Ward), there were 8,256 applications, with $89 million for rental assistance or home repair and $2 million for other needs assistance for a total of $91 million;
  • The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved $256.4 million in low-interest loans. $212.9 million was approved for individuals and $43.5 million for businesses;
    • In the Souris Valley, SBA approved $240.9 million in low-interest loans. $198.1 million was approved for individuals and $42.8 million for businesses;
  • Disaster Recovery Centers were in 11 communities and received 14,921 separate visits from applicants while in operation
    • DRCs were located in six Souris Valley area communities and received 12,477 visits;
  • SBA Business Recovery Centers in Minot and Bismarck received a total of 2,929 visits;
  • The Disaster Unemployment Assistance program, managed by Job Service North Dakota and funded by FEMA, provided $2.4 million in benefits.
  • $3.3 million was provided to fund crisis counseling grants ;
  • The transitional sheltering assistance program ended 12/26/2011 at a total cost of $3,196,962.94. This program allowed displaced residents to stay in hotel rooms until more permanent housing became available.

Direct Housing Mission

  • Due to housing shortages because of the economic boom, a direct housing mission was initiated:
    • Group housing site construction totaling $40 million is ongoing by USACE.
    • More than 2000 Temporary Housing Units (THUs) delivered and installed.
  • There are currently 1,471 occupied THUs.
    • DeSour Valley Heights – located in Burlington, this 50-unit site was filled in October. The park is currently housing 44 households.
    • Virgil Workman Village – located just east of Minot, this is comprised of three parks containing 200 homes each. It is currently housing a combined total of 532 households.
    • Recovery Village – located on the northeast edge of Minot, this was the final group site to come online. The site did support nearly 200 homes and is currently housing 47 households.
    • Private Sites – FEMA placed housing units at 1,118 private sites allowing residents to be closer to their damaged homes while making needed repairs. There are currently 635 THU’s still on private sites.
    • Commercial Sites – FEMA leased space and is currently housing 213 households at the following commercial sites: Holiday Village, Gulli’s, Burlington, Jefferson and Gold Nugget.
  • Multiple weather/climate challenges were overcome by completing $13 million in winterization processes, such as: foam insulation, use of heat tape and arctic room shelter construction.
  • The housing mission in Minot is expected to last at least 18 months.

Last Modified: Monday, 11-Jun-2012 10:02:01

Credit:

Fact Sheet: FEMA Individual Assistance in the Souris Valley

Area Residents Helping FEMA Support Souris Valley

Area Residents Helping FEMA Support Souris Valley 

Release Date: June 11, 2012
Release Number: 1981-ANF001

» More Information on North Dakota Flooding

» 2012 Region VIII News Releases

“Helping people.”

That’s the answer Tamra “Tammy” Kloehn gave when asked what she liked most about her job with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Minot. Tammy knows what it is like to need assistance after a disaster, because her household was affected by last year’s flood and was an applicant for FEMA disaster assistance.

When the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrives to render aid following a declared disaster, survivors are often curious about the people who represent the agency. While it is usually true that the initial group of workers who arrive on the scene come from across the country, those impacted by disasters may be surprised to learn that many new FEMA employees are their family, friends and fellow disaster survivors. In “FEMA-speak” these folks are known as local hires.

Local hires are employees drawn from the local, disaster-affected area. Their willingness to train and work as FEMA employees, along with the wealth of local knowledge they bring, make them an integral part of helping communities recover.

Tammy has lived in Minot all of her life, working in various fields such as restaurant management, assisted living care and accounting. When she saw a job posting for FEMA last December and read the description, she applied, “It sounded interesting and it was working with people.”

As a Recertification Advisor, Tammy visits individuals and families living in FEMA housing units throughout Minot to work with them on their housing plan and help them return to a more permanent living arrangement. She provides those who were previously renting with lists of available rentals and offers assistance to homeowners that are repairing their damaged dwellings.

…

Christopher Geck was also born in Minot, but has lived the past 22 years in Mandan. In 2009 he was working as a security officer in the FEMA Bismarck Joint Field Office that was set up to help in recovery from the Red River flooding that year. Chris applied for a reservist position that was open in the Finance and Admin section and was hired as a Human Resources Specialist.

Reservists are FEMA employees who travel the country assisting in recovery efforts of all 50 states following disaster declarations. Chris finds it especially satisfying to be assigned to work in the city he was born in 28 years ago and where his own family was affected by the flood last year. He now serves as the HR supervisor in the Minot FEMA Housing Management Office, handling deployments of fellow employees who arrive from other parts of the country to assist in flood recovery, overseeing payroll and interviewing and processing new local hires.

…

When you look into the eyes of Laura Grueneberg, you can see the care and concern she carries for disaster survivors. In her position as a Voluntary Agency Liaison (VAL) that is appropriate, but even more so knowing her own home was substantially damaged during the flood in Minot last year. Living with her husband and 4 children in a hotel room for almost 4 months and then in a FEMA housing unit for another 5 months, Laura knows intimately what many disaster survivors are living through today.

“A way to make a difference in the lives of people” is what prompted Laura to apply for the position she saw posted online in November. As a VAL, Laura is FEMA’s link to local volunteer organizations. She also works hand-in-hand with FEMA Recertification Advisors to help applicants who have needs that cannot be met by FEMA programs, but that voluntary agencies may be able to assist.

“I am grateful for the opportunity FEMA has given me. Working in a field where I am able to help others is incredibly rewarding and working outside of the home has helped my family get back on our feet.”

FEMA is also grateful for the area residents serving in its ranks who have helped the Souris Valley in the disaster recovery.

Last Modified: Monday, 11-Jun-2012 10:00:22

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Area Residents Helping FEMA Support Souris Valley