Governor Tours Flood Areas
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| Retha Colcasure |
| 4/20/2009 |
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| There`s almost no corner of the state that hasn`t been grappling with the effects of flooding. Some communities are still keeping a close eye on water levels, but others are turning their attention towards recovery. Governor Hoeven took three city tour today, and one of those towns is focusing on recovery. When the water in the Knife River and several other creeks near Beulah began to rise, friends and neighbors pitched in to help protect homes. Despite their best efforts, a few places lost the flood fight. Today, Governor Hoeven and other state leaders talked about what they can do to get things back to normal. It was a busy day for Governor John Hoeven, with stops in Valley City, Jamestown, and Beulah. Here in Mercer County, he took a look at the damage caused by flooding just a few weeks ago. "Clearly there`s a lot of damage throughout the county, throughout the state, because of the flooding, particularly to the roads, the public infrastructure," Hoeven says. "With the level of damage that we`re seeing around the state of North Dakota, we firmly believe we`re going to hit that 90-percent threshold, meaning 90-percent reimbursement from the federal government." About 100 homes in the Beulah area were affected by flooding, and many of those homeowners are eligible for financial help from FEMA. "Disaster recovery, a big key is local leadership and its obvious from just driving around, you can see the excellent local leadership that`s here in this town," says Derek Jensen, a FEMA representative. During the flood, this park was completely covered by water, as the Knife River rose and covered anything in its path. The governor looked at a few water damaged homes and businesses, and saw the need for help. While much of the damage caused by the flood is starting to dry out, full recovery will take both time and money. "To date there have been over 1,360 applicants and also more than $2.1 million has been dispersed to the people and families that have been directly impacted by the flood," says Maj. Gen. Dave Sprynczynatyk, the Adj. Gen. North Dakota National Guard. FEMA set up an operations center in Beulah to help process those applications, and continue to give out money to those in need. The state is still asking for additional money to cover the cost of snow cleanup this year, in addition to flooding costs. Also, Governor Hoeven says he hopes money from the state legislature, along with federal stimulus dollars, will help cover funding needs. For more information, call 1-800-621-FEMA, or visit www.disasterassistance.gov. |
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