Cloquet declares local emergency

Talk about it

In following with the devastation that has resulted in our community and region, Mayor Bruce Ahlgren has declared a local emergency under Minnesota Statutes 12.29 and 12.37. The City, along with all of Carlton County and many of its neighboring communities, have suffered significant damage as a result of flooding from the June 19 storm that dropped record levels of rain on the community. As the flood waters recede and more information becomes available the declaration is the first step in working with Federal or State officials on any financial assistance that may be available to our region. “With many homes suffering from damage from water and many of our businesses and industries being flooded we want to be sure to follow the proper procedures to help them in any way we can.” said Mayor Ahlgren.

Police Chief Lamirande and Fire District Chief Kevin Schroeder have been coordinating all local efforts with County and regional officials to ensure that the public has sufficient protection. Public Works Director Jim Prusak and his staff have been working diligently at protecting the City’s municipal water system and road infrastructure from as much damage as possible. As the waters recede there is a great deal of assessment that will need to take place to verify that the structural integrity of our systems have not been compromised. Our public safety and public works employees have been working long hours to monitor and repair problems as they have been found.

Road closures throughout the region continue to be a problem. If travelling please consider either of the following links to find out the condition of area roads:

http://gisservices2.dot.state.mn.us/minnesotafloodmap/MNDOT_ROAD_CLOSURES.Web/MNDOT_ROAD_CLOSURESPage.html

www.511mn.org

Shamrock Landfill in Cloquet has been temporarily authorized as a result of the emergency to accept brush and construction debris, including carpets and furniture, from Cloquet property owners. Municipal garbage will not be accepted. Shamrock has agreed to do so at no charge to the residents of our community that can show a current ID. The landfill can be accessed through its Highway 45 entrance, just south of the Park & Ride.

The City does not have any method to provide individual clean up or monies for clean up resulting from the storm or overflows of the storm water or sanitary sewer systems. Individuals should take whatever steps are necessary to remove any damaged or destroyed materials from their property. In the case that certain State or Federal assistance may become available, we would encourage all impacted residents to photograph and document any clean up efforts as best they can. There is no guarantee of any outside financial assistance being available to anyone, but by documenting problems and expenses as much as possible this information can be invaluable down the road.

For those that are not capable of cleaning up their properties, it is possible that local and regional volunteer services may become available to assist. The local Red Cross is in town and would be an agency to consider contacting if in need of help or a place to stay. Emergency shelters have been opened in Duluth and at the Scanlon Community Center. The Red Cross can be reached at 722-0071 or through the following link:

http://www.redcross.org/

“This is a very hectic time for everyone and we understand that there are many questions being asked of our staff. Our staff is working hard to ensure that we are doing everything possible for the community to recover as quickly as it can.” stated Mayor Ahlgren. “Over this next week we will continue to reach out to our County, State and Federal partners and will hopefully be able to provide more information as we move forward.”

~ This press release was provided by the city of Cloquet

Tags: flood 2012, news, flood, cloquet, updates