Five Years After The Flood: Grand Forks Rebuilds As A Safer, Better Place To Live 

Release Date: April 18, 2002
Release Number: HQ-02-025

Denver, CO -- The 1997 flood that inundated Grand Forks and damaged scores of other North Dakota communities began innocently enough with the first snowfall of '96. But as blizzards followed one after another, emergency managers began calculating likely river flows and devising strategies to avoid flood damages.

By early April, the state had been slammed with eight major blizzards. As rivers across the state rose - notably the Red River of the North - the president declared North Dakota a major disaster freeing up federal funds to help in the battle.

From April 18 through 20, while significant flooding occurred throughout the state and the region, events beyond imagination struck Grand Forks. Floodwaters engulfed the city. Most of the Grand Fork's 50,000 residents were told to evacuate. When the fury ended, 11 buildings downtown had burned and about 90 percent of the city was seriously damaged. Stunned residents faced to the daunting task of rebuilding their lives.

Five years later, a new Grand Forks has emerged.

"Grand Forks has come back through sheer perseverance and hard work, and the entire community should be congratulated for its effort in the face of daunting odds," said FEMA's Regional Director David Maurstad. "I also applaud local leaders, who had the vision to rebuild in ways that aim to protect residents and businesses from experiencing the pain and heartache of another major disaster."

The 1997 flood is sometimes called "the Grand Forks Flood." It is the costliest disaster in FEMA's Region VIII, and ranks among the worst natural disasters in the nation's history. While most damages occurred in Grand Forks, other communities along the Red River such as Fargo, Pembina, Drayton and Wahpeton also experienced serious impacts. In the aftermath of this devastating event, the entire state of North Dakota was declared a federal disaster.

A key element of the recovery effort has been the ability of local, state and federal governments, as well as business and community organizations, to work in close partnership. FEMA disaster aid represents only a part of the total assistance provided to North Dakota communities. Overall, damage from the flooding has been estimated at a billion dollars.

Summary figures of FEMA assistance for statewide damages include:

Public Assistance ($218 million). This assistance reimburses state and local government on a cost-share basis for the repair or restoration of essential publicly owned infrastructure damaged in a disaster. It also provides supplementary reimbursement for the cost of debris removal and emergency protective services that were provided in response to the incident.

Individual Assistance ($73 million). Assistance to individuals includes short-term disaster housing, crisis counseling, disaster unemployment and grants for essential disaster-related needs not covered by insurance.

Hazard Mitigation ($47 million). This state-administered program receives up to 75% federal funding for community projects designed to protect against potential damages in future events.

Breakdown of individual assistance programs includes:

Last Modified: Friday, 22-Aug-2003 09:19:19