http://www.minotrecoveryinfo.com/news/detail.asp?newsID=252 for full article.
1/6/12
From Mayor Curt Zimbleman: While it seems like an overused phrase, 2012 was truly one for the record books while also being a year of great change in Minot. With the ongoing flood recovery efforts and the energy impact due to the oil boom, our region has been through a lot in 2012.
Before I get too far, I want to thank all the many volunteers, businesses, friends, neighbors and even complete strangers who have helped the Magic City continue recovering from the 2011 Mouse River flood. You have proved to be a resilient, caring, resourceful, compassionate people willing to help when times are tough. As well, a pat on the back to all those who are working to manage the growth and change coming at us from every direction.
Flood Recovery
As I look back on 2012 I see a lot of key points to highlight when it comes to flood recovery. All intersection signals and street lights were repaired, the dead loops and main portions of the Mouse River were cleaned of garbage and flood debris was hauled away from homes - more than 56,500 tons! According to the City Assessor's Office, 80 percent of the homes with main-floor flood damage are now habitable; and a report released this summer showed 97 percent of businesses affected by the flood remain open one year later. In many ways our community made great strides in 2012.
See full article for the full update
Showing posts with label ND. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ND. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Friday, January 20, 2012
Minot Adopts FEMA Recovery Plan
KFYR TV News, Dec 19th, 2011
The City of Minot has approved a comprehensive, long-term recovery plan. See Plan
FEMA published the plan December 7, after months of public input following the Souris River Flood. Now that the Minot City Council is on-board attention turns to getting started and footing the bill.
Six months since the Souris River`s crest through Minot, emotions are still raw in neighborhoods... Inside Minot City Hall elected officials approved a FEMA plan that aims to get the region back on its feet.
More than 150 pages in length with a completion date years from now, it`s a challenge, but Minot Mayor Curt Zimbelman says the investment is worth it. "A lot of times these kinda plans get set on the shelf and are never looked at again but I think this is the kinda plan that we can honestly take a good hard try at and accomplish," Zimbelman said after Monday`s City Council Meeting.
Building affordable housing, promoting economic development and building parks are all priorities of the plan. Now, the minds behind the final draft say it`s important that communities work quickly to get the smaller- more manageable projects completed first.
"A lot of the things we`ve worked on in previous disasters we start with the small things, work on those, get those accomplished, and then start working on biggest things. It`s kinda that confidence builder if you will," said FEMA representative Steve Greene.
The other reason planners put smaller things first: money. Big undertakings such as improving traffic along Burdick Expressway as well as a miles-long greenway will be expensive and while this plan doesn`t come with a check- it isn`t without suggestions.
Greene said, "We don`t guarantee funding but the one thing we can do is start asking our federal and state partners what programs they have out there that these communities can take advantage of."
Will it be expensive? Definitely; but Zimbelman says the cost is worth it, "Can`t let that hold you back. You have to have a vision and I think this sets us on a track for a better Minot at the end."
Nothing about this plan is set in stone, but Minot leaders hope this will be the bed rock of a healthier city.
Ward County Commissioners will discuss the plan Tuesday.
The City of Minot has approved a comprehensive, long-term recovery plan. See Plan
Six months since the Souris River`s crest through Minot, emotions are still raw in neighborhoods... Inside Minot City Hall elected officials approved a FEMA plan that aims to get the region back on its feet.
More than 150 pages in length with a completion date years from now, it`s a challenge, but Minot Mayor Curt Zimbelman says the investment is worth it. "A lot of times these kinda plans get set on the shelf and are never looked at again but I think this is the kinda plan that we can honestly take a good hard try at and accomplish," Zimbelman said after Monday`s City Council Meeting.
Building affordable housing, promoting economic development and building parks are all priorities of the plan. Now, the minds behind the final draft say it`s important that communities work quickly to get the smaller- more manageable projects completed first.
"A lot of the things we`ve worked on in previous disasters we start with the small things, work on those, get those accomplished, and then start working on biggest things. It`s kinda that confidence builder if you will," said FEMA representative Steve Greene.
The other reason planners put smaller things first: money. Big undertakings such as improving traffic along Burdick Expressway as well as a miles-long greenway will be expensive and while this plan doesn`t come with a check- it isn`t without suggestions.
Greene said, "We don`t guarantee funding but the one thing we can do is start asking our federal and state partners what programs they have out there that these communities can take advantage of."
Will it be expensive? Definitely; but Zimbelman says the cost is worth it, "Can`t let that hold you back. You have to have a vision and I think this sets us on a track for a better Minot at the end."
Nothing about this plan is set in stone, but Minot leaders hope this will be the bed rock of a healthier city.
Ward County Commissioners will discuss the plan Tuesday.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Public Participation Creates Recovery Projects
Public Participation Creates Recovery Projects
Hundreds Attend Long-Term Recovery Meetings in Minot and Burlington
Release Date: October 6, BISMARCK, N.D. -- More affordable housing and further shopping options, downtown redevelopment and additional green spaces, a revitalized zoo and better communications with Canada on water issues, were among the hundreds of ideas that emerged from three community open houses held Sept. 19-24 in Minot and Burlington.
More than 500 area residents attended meetings, during which they had an opportunity to quiz long-term recovery experts, view display boards on various long-term recovery topics and write comments or suggestions on yellow sticky notes about how they would like their communities to look and feel five to 15 years from now and beyond.
More than 2,300 suggestions were posted, many with multiple ideas and comments. FEMA’s Long-Term Recovery Team is currently sorting through those comments – as well as multiple interviews carried out in Minot and Ward County since July – to identify potential long-term community recovery projects.
All unedited comments are posted at three different websites: http://www.fema.gov/goodbye/goodbye.jsp?url=http://www.minotnd.org/, http://www.fema.gov/goodbye/goodbye.jsp?url=www.rallyminot.com and http://www.fema.gov/goodbye/goodbye.jsp?url=http://www.facebook.com/minotnorthdakota.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Burlington Recovery Meeting
Sep 22 2011 7:15PM
KXMCTV Minot
KXMCTV Minot
Now tonight it's Burlington's turn
VIDEO
All people from the area are invited to come and visit with officials from the different Federal agencies that are at the Burlington Elementary School tonight.
The format is the same, different areas of the community are provided and all you have to do is write down your ideas.
(Tim Gelston, FEMA ESF-14) "It's incredibly important. These plans are truly the communities plans. ESF-14 comes and assists the community in developing their plan. It's never about the Federal government doing planning for the community. It's always about us supporting the community and their planning efforts."
Tonight's open house is at Burlington Elementary and goes until 8pm.
The final Informational gathering open house is back in Minot this Saturday from 10am to 3pm at Jim Hill Middle School.
The format is the same, different areas of the community are provided and all you have to do is write down your ideas.
(Tim Gelston, FEMA ESF-14) "It's incredibly important. These plans are truly the communities plans. ESF-14 comes and assists the community in developing their plan. It's never about the Federal government doing planning for the community. It's always about us supporting the community and their planning efforts."
Tonight's open house is at Burlington Elementary and goes until 8pm.
The final Informational gathering open house is back in Minot this Saturday from 10am to 3pm at Jim Hill Middle School.
Minoters offer flood recovery input
September 20, 2011
, Minot Daily News
Minoters took advantage of Monday night's opportunity to offer their suggestions for the future of the city. There was a large turnout at the Community Recovery Open House at Jim Hill Middle School.
Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel welcomed hundreds of written comments that will be used to determine the direction of long-range planning as the city works to recover from massive flooding that ripped through the heart of Minot earlier this year.
"This evening is about the citizens of Minot coming out and talking about their long-term recovery ideas," explained Timothy Gelston, FEMA. "We are seeking comments on topics relating in some way to various facets of the community."
Citizens concerned about flood recovery were given several "post-it" notes upon arrival to what is referred to as an Emergency Support Function 14 session. Attendees were encouraged to write their concerns or visions for the future of the city and attach the notes to an appropriate poster board in the cafeteria area at Jim Hill.
Many of the written comments expressed concern about the lack of answers regarding the whereabouts and extent of future flood control projects within the city. Several homeowners commented that they have been waiting much too long to hear about future flood control plans that will help them determine whether they should rebuild or move out of flooded areas. The lack of housing, particularly affordable housing, also appeared to be one of the hot topics of the evening.
"There's a wide range of projects we can identify in an evening like this," said Gelston. "These kinds of events really focus attention."
Another ESF-14 input session is scheduled for Burlington Elementary School Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. A third meeting, one for all citizens of Ward County, is set for Jim Hill Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anyone who did not attend one of the earlier meetings is invited to submit their comments during the Saturday session.
All of the comments received at the three meetings will be scrutinized by FEMA officials for the purpose of identifying what citizens consider the most important visions for the future. Some of the ideas will be carried forward to a series of meetings which will be held in October. At those meetings citizens will be asked to choose from a list of suggestions for the long-term future of the city and determine an order of priority.
Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel welcomed hundreds of written comments that will be used to determine the direction of long-range planning as the city works to recover from massive flooding that ripped through the heart of Minot earlier this year.
"This evening is about the citizens of Minot coming out and talking about their long-term recovery ideas," explained Timothy Gelston, FEMA. "We are seeking comments on topics relating in some way to various facets of the community."
Citizens concerned about flood recovery were given several "post-it" notes upon arrival to what is referred to as an Emergency Support Function 14 session. Attendees were encouraged to write their concerns or visions for the future of the city and attach the notes to an appropriate poster board in the cafeteria area at Jim Hill.
Many of the written comments expressed concern about the lack of answers regarding the whereabouts and extent of future flood control projects within the city. Several homeowners commented that they have been waiting much too long to hear about future flood control plans that will help them determine whether they should rebuild or move out of flooded areas. The lack of housing, particularly affordable housing, also appeared to be one of the hot topics of the evening.
"There's a wide range of projects we can identify in an evening like this," said Gelston. "These kinds of events really focus attention."
Another ESF-14 input session is scheduled for Burlington Elementary School Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. A third meeting, one for all citizens of Ward County, is set for Jim Hill Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anyone who did not attend one of the earlier meetings is invited to submit their comments during the Saturday session.
All of the comments received at the three meetings will be scrutinized by FEMA officials for the purpose of identifying what citizens consider the most important visions for the future. Some of the ideas will be carried forward to a series of meetings which will be held in October. At those meetings citizens will be asked to choose from a list of suggestions for the long-term future of the city and determine an order of priority.
Friday, August 19, 2011
HUD's Fred Tombar testifies to Congress on FEMA and HUD efforts for Long Term Recovery support to Spirit Lake Nation, ND
July 21, 2011, US Congressional Testimony of Fred Tombar, HUD
Link to Testimony
...A Model for Coordinated Flood Mitigation: The Spirit Lake Long-Term
Flood Recovery Plan
Although several Northern Plains tribes are now experiencing flood damage, the
North Dakota Spirit Lake tribe has suffered flood damage to its communities for an
extensive period of time. In December 2010, the Spirit Lake Recovery Plan was issued
to provide focused cost- and time-efficient strategies to address the 17-plus years of
flooding experienced by the Tribe. The Plan was generated as a part of FEMA’s 3
Emergency Support Function 14 (ESF 14 Long-Term Community Recovery), and
involves numerous Recovery Plan partners at the tribal, federal, state, and local levels.
Northern Plains ONAP staff traveled to Spirit Lake during September and December to
assist in finalizing and “kicking off” the Recovery Plan implementation.
Link to Testimony
...A Model for Coordinated Flood Mitigation: The Spirit Lake Long-Term
Flood Recovery Plan
Although several Northern Plains tribes are now experiencing flood damage, the
North Dakota Spirit Lake tribe has suffered flood damage to its communities for an
extensive period of time. In December 2010, the Spirit Lake Recovery Plan was issued
to provide focused cost- and time-efficient strategies to address the 17-plus years of
flooding experienced by the Tribe. The Plan was generated as a part of FEMA’s 3
Emergency Support Function 14 (ESF 14 Long-Term Community Recovery), and
involves numerous Recovery Plan partners at the tribal, federal, state, and local levels.
Northern Plains ONAP staff traveled to Spirit Lake during September and December to
assist in finalizing and “kicking off” the Recovery Plan implementation.
Minot Bypass project put on hold
July 20, 2011
By DAVE CALDWELL - Staff Writer (dcaldwell@minotdailynews.com) , Minot Daily News
|
Ward County Highway Engineer Dana Larsen went to Tuesday morning's regularly scheduled meeting of the Ward County Board of Commissioners expecting to get the signature of board chair Jerome Gruenberg on contracts to officially begin construction of the multimillion-dollar Northeast Bypass and 55th Street Overpass project.
Instead, he discovered that on the eve of a project that shows promise of finally having a feel-good story for area infrastructure on the heels of flooding destruction, the entire project has spiraled headlong into the muck of doubt.
In the course of a not-so-unusual court filing to attempt to gain what the landowner considers a fair price for his land as the government purchases right-of-way to make space for construction of the overpass and bypass projects, Gregory Baumgarten, who owns the Trading Post, a used auto parts retailer, also filed a request for the court to grant an injunction prohibiting any further action on the project while matters are pending.
Compounding problems is the fact that the project survived by the skin of its teeth on at least one previous occasion when its $14.2 million federal TIGER II grant funding was threatened by federal spending cutbacks because it had not yet made enough progress.
Due to the flooding situation in the area, a 30-day extension was granted to relax a June 20 deadline, meaning that today, on July 20, those funds could be very much in peril once again. Without those federal dollars - especially considering massive flooding damage amounts facing local and state resources - the project will likely die.
more.... click on article title
By DAVE CALDWELL - Staff Writer (dcaldwell@minotdailynews.com) , Minot Daily News
|
Ward County Highway Engineer Dana Larsen went to Tuesday morning's regularly scheduled meeting of the Ward County Board of Commissioners expecting to get the signature of board chair Jerome Gruenberg on contracts to officially begin construction of the multimillion-dollar Northeast Bypass and 55th Street Overpass project.
Instead, he discovered that on the eve of a project that shows promise of finally having a feel-good story for area infrastructure on the heels of flooding destruction, the entire project has spiraled headlong into the muck of doubt.
In the course of a not-so-unusual court filing to attempt to gain what the landowner considers a fair price for his land as the government purchases right-of-way to make space for construction of the overpass and bypass projects, Gregory Baumgarten, who owns the Trading Post, a used auto parts retailer, also filed a request for the court to grant an injunction prohibiting any further action on the project while matters are pending.
Compounding problems is the fact that the project survived by the skin of its teeth on at least one previous occasion when its $14.2 million federal TIGER II grant funding was threatened by federal spending cutbacks because it had not yet made enough progress.
Due to the flooding situation in the area, a 30-day extension was granted to relax a June 20 deadline, meaning that today, on July 20, those funds could be very much in peril once again. Without those federal dollars - especially considering massive flooding damage amounts facing local and state resources - the project will likely die.
more.... click on article title
County mulls flood recovery options
A variety of topics were discussed at the Ward County Commission meeting Tuesday morning, including space needs for the Ward County Sheriff's Department and help from a firm specializing in disaster recovery assistance.
Ward County Sheriff Steve Kukowski asked the county commission for extra space at the County North Building to store evidence. Kukowski said an area of the building on the far west side that is separated by a wall was set aside for Ward County Social Services, but they have no plans to utilize that space.
Kukowski said sheriff's department personnel could take the wall down and then a fence could be installed where the wall was to make the area secure.
But before that can happen, the camels from Roosevelt Park Zoo now in residence there would have to be moved. Kukowski said Ron Merritt, director of parks, has assured him that will be happening.
more...
Ward County Sheriff Steve Kukowski asked the county commission for extra space at the County North Building to store evidence. Kukowski said an area of the building on the far west side that is separated by a wall was set aside for Ward County Social Services, but they have no plans to utilize that space.
Kukowski said sheriff's department personnel could take the wall down and then a fence could be installed where the wall was to make the area secure.
But before that can happen, the camels from Roosevelt Park Zoo now in residence there would have to be moved. Kukowski said Ron Merritt, director of parks, has assured him that will be happening.
more...
First of FEMA homes being installed on private lots
July 29, 2011
By ELOISE OGDEN - Regional Editor (eogden@minotdailynews.com) , Minot Daily News
Save |
The first Federal Emergency Management Agency homes have been placed on individual lots in Ward County, primarily for the Minot and Burlington communities.
Noel Boxer, external affairs officer with FEMA, said as of noon Thursday, the lease on one FEMA home had been signed.
He said the lease is the last step in obtaining a FEMA manufactured home and now that individual or family already is living in one of the homes.
FEMA placed three units in the Minot area Tuesday, seven units Wednesday and five more units Thursday, for a total of 15 units placed on private sites, Boxer said. He said those units are at various stages of installation.
FEMA will be bringing in "into the hundreds" of manufactured homes, Boxer said. "The numbers are being calculated on a daily basis as the request is made from an applicant who has a need for longterm temporary housing and as FEMA determines eligibility.
more...
By ELOISE OGDEN - Regional Editor (eogden@minotdailynews.com) , Minot Daily News
Save |
The first Federal Emergency Management Agency homes have been placed on individual lots in Ward County, primarily for the Minot and Burlington communities.
Noel Boxer, external affairs officer with FEMA, said as of noon Thursday, the lease on one FEMA home had been signed.
He said the lease is the last step in obtaining a FEMA manufactured home and now that individual or family already is living in one of the homes.
FEMA placed three units in the Minot area Tuesday, seven units Wednesday and five more units Thursday, for a total of 15 units placed on private sites, Boxer said. He said those units are at various stages of installation.
FEMA will be bringing in "into the hundreds" of manufactured homes, Boxer said. "The numbers are being calculated on a daily basis as the request is made from an applicant who has a need for longterm temporary housing and as FEMA determines eligibility.
more...
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Spirit Lake Nation, North Dakota
Spirit Lake Nation has suffered over 15 years of flooding from the rising Devils Lake. They have begun a process of looking toward a new future for recovery. See this video for an overview of one element of their journey. "Winds of Change"
Recovery Diva has a short note on the efforts at SLN http://recoverydiva.com/2010/12/21/spirit-lake-tribe-local-recovery-plan/
There is also a news video of the big meeting on December 8th involving the recovery committee and federal and state agencies. WDAZ "Spirit Lake Tribe Adopts Strategic Plan"
Recovery Diva has a short note on the efforts at SLN http://recoverydiva.com/2010/12/21/spirit-lake-tribe-local-recovery-plan/
There is also a news video of the big meeting on December 8th involving the recovery committee and federal and state agencies. WDAZ "Spirit Lake Tribe Adopts Strategic Plan"
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