Gov. Doug Burgum and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring will meet with local officials and community members on Monday, Oct. 21, in Grand Forks to hear about the impacts of North Dakota’s unusually wet fall and last weekend’s record-breaking early snowstorm and to discuss the state’s response efforts.
Burgum and Goehring will visit with farmers to get a better understanding of the impacts being felt during this harvest season and discuss measures North Dakota is taking to help ease the strain of those economic and emotional hardships, the entities announced in a press release on Friday, Oct. 18. Burgum and Goehring will be meeting with individuals around the state, including Fargo, Jamestown and Fessenden on Monday.
The Grand Forks meeting will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Grand Forks Public Works building, 724 N. 47th St. The event is open to the public.
A large part of the state is experiencing unprecedented fall flooding, both riverine and overland. Grand Forks County is among the eight counties in the state that has issued a flood emergency declaration this month. The cities of Grand Forks, Jamestown, LaMoure and Valley City have also issued declarations.
Residents in Grand Forks have reported flooded basements, while floodwaters also are encroaching on sugar beet fields, rural homes and roadways.
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The Red River and its tributaries have risen to high levels this fall. Currently, the river is within 1 foot of moderate flood stage in Fargo and 1 foot above major flood stage in Oslo, Minn.
A presidential disaster declaration is being pursued and potentially would include public assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of damaged road infrastructure, the release said.
During the visits, Burgum and Goehring will explain the state’s “whole-of-government approach to dealing with floods,” according to a news release. They will be joined by representatives from a number of state agencies, including the state Department of Emergency Services, Department of Agriculture, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Human Services, Department of Health, Department of Transportation and the State Water Commission.
Other state officials at Monday’s meetings will include the state’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann; Homeland Security Director Cody Schulz; and State Water Commission Assistant State Engineer John Paczkowski.
