Post by Logan on Jun 28, 2016 23:42:20 GMT -6
Small town fights FEMA to save dike that has protected town for 20 years
DRAYTON, N.D. -- Portions of a dike that has kept Drayton residents safe from floodwaters for almost 20 years must be removed, a federal agency has declared.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which purchased 16 parcels of land along the Red River in Drayton after the 1997 flood with a buyout program, has told city officials the dikes on the lots FEMA owns must be taken down by Oct. 12, according to a Feb. 2 letter from the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. The announcement has left some residents wondering what plans, if any, FEMA has to prevent flooding.
“My personal opinion is, why would there ever be a program that leaves a community without flood protection?” KodaBank Vice President Rob Boll said. “Why would (FEMA) initiate an offer or go along with a buyout program if it was going to mean we had to dismantle our dike system? It doesn’t make sense.”
The earthen dike, some of which existed before FEMA offered the buyouts, follows the Red River along the east side of the Drayton, which is home to about 800 people and is about 50 miles north of Grand Forks. The dike has helped prevent flooding in Drayton five times since the 1997 flood, according to city handouts.
Read more: www.inforum.com/news/4064118-small-town-fights-fema-save-dike-has-protected-town-20-years
DRAYTON, N.D. -- Portions of a dike that has kept Drayton residents safe from floodwaters for almost 20 years must be removed, a federal agency has declared.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which purchased 16 parcels of land along the Red River in Drayton after the 1997 flood with a buyout program, has told city officials the dikes on the lots FEMA owns must be taken down by Oct. 12, according to a Feb. 2 letter from the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. The announcement has left some residents wondering what plans, if any, FEMA has to prevent flooding.
“My personal opinion is, why would there ever be a program that leaves a community without flood protection?” KodaBank Vice President Rob Boll said. “Why would (FEMA) initiate an offer or go along with a buyout program if it was going to mean we had to dismantle our dike system? It doesn’t make sense.”
The earthen dike, some of which existed before FEMA offered the buyouts, follows the Red River along the east side of the Drayton, which is home to about 800 people and is about 50 miles north of Grand Forks. The dike has helped prevent flooding in Drayton five times since the 1997 flood, according to city handouts.
Read more: www.inforum.com/news/4064118-small-town-fights-fema-save-dike-has-protected-town-20-years