BEMIDJI 鈥� In an impromptu move, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his team visited Bemidji Tuesday morning to witness the storm destruction that has impacted the area.
After driving past the worst spots in town, including Lake Avenue and the Nymore area, Walz stopped to speak about the devastation and the swift recovery process at a home along East Avenue NE.
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"This is an unprecedented storm that hit right in Beltrami (County) and its surrounding areas," Walz said, "but I saw a lot of other things. I saw neighbors helping neighbors. I saw professionalism of crews that have restored power to almost every single person. Also saw the grace of God and a lot of preparation by the professionals ... with no injuries or loss of life."
Near immediately, state legislators were in contact with county and city representatives following the storm.
"We were watching as these storms were developing in North Dakota," Walz explained. "I think alerts were going out once that started to happen ... our folks were already activated and calling. There were folks within hours up here starting to do this. This is a process that's in place. These are the professionals. They extend beyond administration."
Walz then detailed the thought process.
"The first thing is, is loss of life, then protection on the power, making sure the gas is off," he began. "These folks know how to triage all that. Give them some time to get their feet under them and us to get up here and start making the case.
"Because now people are already thinking about this, what does rebuilding look like? What's recovery look like? And that's the case we're trying to make."
Both Bemidji and Beltrami County announced separate emergency declarations that were each extended during separate meetings on Monday.
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This allowed the state to put together a Disaster Assistance contingency account that will help the area fund the recovery process up to a 75% reimbursement. The state currently has $24 million within the fund and it will refill in October to continually aid the county as long as the emergency persists.
The next step is to decide if the area qualifies for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) aid. If the county qualifies, then FEMA would cover 75% of the costs and the state would cover 25%, providing complete relief for the county.
"I will note that representatives are already working on this with an understanding due to how our tax bases work," Walz explained. "Even the 25% can put a burden on (the city and county). There's going to be significant costs to the communities, there's going to be significant costs to the counties, and there's going to be (significant) impacts to homeowners."
State and federal reimbursement dollars do not help private residents. Residents must rely on their insurance, something the governor spoke about.
"I hope there's something we can do," Walz began. "I just look at all of these folks ... I hope insurance pays for it."
The procession first made a quick stop along Lake Avenue. It concluded at Lois Pfeffer's property along East Avenue NE.
Walz took time to talk to Lois and her son, Tim, about his visit and what the state hopes to accomplish alongside the city and county.
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Pfeffer was one of many residents who saw significant damage to her property.
But the recovery process has ensued, another thing Walz spoke about.
"It's incredible work by these folks who know now is the time not to scare people, not to cry wolf, but to get people protected," he said. "Hearing our tribal leaders talk about getting people off the powwow grounds that were camping, we would have had significant injuries and deaths potentially in here, except for the leadership that's here, except for the preparation that goes into it, and the work that's done to protect citizens. I am incredibly grateful."
Attendees included Beltrami County Board Chair Craig Gaasvig, Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince, Rep. Bidal Duran, Rep. Steve Green, White Earth Tribal Chairman Michael Fairbanks, Red Lake Tribal Chairman Darrell Seki Sr., Leech Lake Secretary and Treasurer Lenny Fineday, Beltrami County Administrator Tom Barry and Beltrami County Emergency Management Director Chris Muller, all standing in solidarity for the community affected by the storm.
When asked what people can do with their fallen trees, Barry explained that the county demolition landfill site is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to collect tree debris. Prince noted that if residents bring their debris to the side of the road, city crews will haul it away for free.
Overall, the visit was swift yet impactful as the community has quickly banded together to help restore the Bemidji area.
"You can see the massive amount of work; it's incredibly impressive in 48 hours how much they've done," Walz expressed. "But this is a case where all of Minnesota joins together.
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"(It's) incredible, all of us watching this, a weekend of high heat, storms brewing, we saw our neighbors, unfortunately, in North Dakota, had three lives lost in this. We're grateful we didn't, but there's a lot of work to be done. The commitment to be with you on this is unwavering."
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