Report: $1.4 billion needed for ND flood recovery

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – A state report estimates it will take at least $1.4 billion in government funding for North Dakota to recover from flooding in 2011.

The estimate was compiled by the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, the Grand Forks Herald reported.

Maj. Gen. Murray Sagsveen, the state disaster recovery coordinator, said the report details the flood response and collaboration by members and agencies of the North Dakota Recover Task Force. The report describes the flooding, steps already taken to address it and plans for recovery in Minot and the Souris River Basin, Bismarck and other areas along the Missouri River, the Red River Valley, the Devils Lake Basin and the Sheyenne River Valley.

Sagsveen says in the report that it likely will take a decade to full recover from the 2011 flooding.

“A successful recovery requires time, resources, commitment and thinking outside the box,” Sagsveen said. “I am confident that when we look back, several years from now, we will be able to say, well done.”

A presidential disaster declaration, issued in early May, eventually covered 44 of the state's 53 counties and all four of the state's American Indian reservations.

The North Dakota floods hit every river basin in the state, shattering 21 peak records, according to the state report. The flooding displaced 28 neighborhoods, swamping 4,100 homes and businesses alone in Minot.

The report outlines U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofit organizations. It also includes Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance to homeowners, the provision of temporary housing and aid to counties and other government agencies.

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Information from: Grand Forks Herald, http://www.grandforksherald.com