Beltrami County eligible for disaster funds

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

March 5, 1997

By Devlyn Brooks

Staff Writer

Beltrami County is one of a group of six Minnesota counties declared a disaster area Tuesday because of winter storms, increasing the list of counties eligible for federal and state emergency assistance to 55.

Recent heavy snowfalls, blowing and drifting snow and extremely cold temperatures prompted President Clinton to add Beltrami, Benton, Lake of the Woods, LeSueur, Steele and Wadena counties to the growing list of counties burdened by snow removal costs, a Federal Emergency Management Agency statement said.

"I am pleased the president continues to expand his original disaster declaration," U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone, DFL-Minn., said in a separate statement. "The six counties added to the list ... urgently need help to pay their bills from this winter's harsh weather. These local governments simply could not have prepared for this severe a winter, and their snow removal budgets were not adequate."

The original FEMA disaster declaration issued Jan. 16 included 40 Minnesota counties and four tribal governments that were suffering from large snow removal costs. At that time, Beltrami County and governments within it were eligible for disaster relief because the county was adjoined to a disaster area. But Beltrami County Emergency Services Director Marlys Eckman said Tuesday that being named a disaster area almost assures reimbursement.

Local governments will be eligible for reimbursement funds to supplement snow removal costs, which include the costs of operating snow clearance equipment, contractors' costs and personal overtime required to clear one lane in each direction along snow emergency routes.

The costs of clearing access routes to critical facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, medical clinics, fire and police stations and emergency operating centers are also reimbursable. Other winter-related costs will have to be incurred by the governments themselves.

The 55 counties included in the disaster area are eligible for up to 90 percent reimbursement for snow removal costs. Seventy-five percent of the matching funds are refunded by FEMA and 15 percent by state governments. The local governments are responsible for the remaining 10 percent of the cost.

Eckman said a briefing will be held 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bemidji Public Library for local government officials interested in applying for emergency assistance. A representative of Minnesota's Division of Emergency Management will be on hand with forms needed to apply for disaster relief.

At the meeting, officials will view a video which explains what are reimbursable expenditures under the declaration and how to collect and report those expenses.

In addition to the FEMA relief, county officials learned Monday help also will more than likely come from the state. The Senate passed a $20 million snow removal bill matching a similar House bill that was passed Thursday. However, both houses differ in how they would divide the money.

In the Senate version, $13 million would be in rebates to communities that overspent last year, $5 million would be used to trigger federal matching funds for this year's blizzards, and $2 million would be set aside for spring floods.

In the House bill, $7 million would go to communities in debt from snow removal, $7 million would go to counties declared federal disaster areas, and $6 million would go toward flood preparation and cleanup.

The differences should be worked out in a conference committee, probably by week's end.