Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate visited North Dakota to observe operations in response to Red River flooding and meet with North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, U.S. Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, U.S. Representative Earl Pomeroy, and tribal and local officials. The Red River, which crested at 37 feet on Sunday in the Fargo, N.D.-Moorhead, Minn., area, is expected to begin to recede slowly, but will likely remain above major flood stage at 30 feet throughout the week.
On March 14, President Obama signed an Emergency Declaration for 18 North Dakota counties and the Spirit Lake Reservation in response to the anticipated flooding. FEMA is coordinating federal agencies and working with state, local and tribal officials to respond to the flooding and begin recovery efforts.
“[Yesterday’s] meeting with the Governor and the state’s congressional delegation was productive, and provided an opportunity to talk about the coordinated response to the Red River flooding,” said Administrator Fugate. “FEMA continues to support the state, local and tribal officials in the region. It’s important that people living in the area continue to follow the instructions of local officials and take steps to ensure their families are safe — an engaged public is the most important member of our nation’s emergency management team.”
“We’ve reached the crest in Fargo, but we still have flood challenges in rural areas, so we remain vigilant,” said Gov. Hoeven. “We have activated all of our agencies, including the Department of Emergency Services, National Guard, Highway Patrol and others to support local efforts to fight flooding in communities across the state.”
“The flood threat is very real in communities across North Dakota again this spring. After last year, we have both the know-how and the confidence to beat back flood waters. But by no means are we out of the woods yet,” said Sen. Conrad. “We appreciate the strong partnership we’ve established with Administrator Fugate and FEMA to help prepare for and respond to whatever the flood waters throw at us. Still, our partners on the local, state and federal levels know we must remain vigilant until this threat has subsided.”
Fugate met earlier with Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland and state, tribal and local officials from Minnesota and South Dakota, including Governors Tim Pawlenty and Mike Rounds.
Topics Flood
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
The Battle Over J&J’s Bankruptcy Plan to End Talc Lawsuits 
Wall Street Pushes Back After Activists Escalate Protests 
AT&T Says Data From Around 109M Customer Accounts Illegally Downloaded 
Hacker Says AT&T Paid About $400,000 to Erase Sensitive Data 
