BISMARCK, N.D. -- Residents of Ward County can help determine the direction of their community's flood recovery at a Community Open House on Tuesday, Oct. 18, between 5 and 8 p.m. in Burlington.

Meeting attendees will be able to help prioritize recovery projects identified during previous open houses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tabulated input from residents indicating the long-term projects most important to the area's future. 

The Ward County open house is the final gathering in a series of grassroots meetings that will help shape the Souris Basin Region Recovery Strategy and the long-term recovery of Minot, Burlington and outlying communities in Ward County. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will be present at the meeting.

• Burlington Community Meeting
  Tuesday, Oct. 18, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  Burlington-Des Lacs Elementary School
  301 Wallace Street South, Burlington

FEMA is facilitating public participation as the agency works to develop a Long Term Recovery Plan for Minot and Ward County that will impact the region well into the future. FEMA is also working closely with community leaders, county and state officials, and local businesses. The purpose of the recovery plan is to promote successful long-term recoveries for communities with extraordinary damages by helping devise strategies and identify potential sources of funding.

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