Carlton County flood relief center opens, volunteers and donations needed

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Relief efforts are under way across Carlton County Saturday to assist the more than 750 Carlton County households affected by flooding this week.

A call center, donation and flood assistance center opened at the Cloquet National Guard Armory Sunday morning. The phone number is 218-384-1112.

"People can call to volunteer or find out what donations are needed," said Carlton County Volunteer Cooordinator Jill Hatfield. "And people who need help or supplies after the flooding can just come in or they can call with questions."

The goal is to act as a clearinghouse for all kinds of volunteers and donations. They are in need of a wide range of skills and donations. Both indoor and outdoor volunteers are needed with people who can help answer phones, do data entry, handle the intake of donations, lift heavy items and those who can help people remove debris from their homes.

All volunteers must be registered through this center, which will be operated by Volunteer Services of Carlton County. People can call with donations or bring donations to the center starting Sunday morning.

The greatest need at the moment is for grocery and gas cards, Hatfield said, adding that the center will be updating the needed donation list frequently. Other needs include personal hygiene items, laundry soap, food, clothes and shoes in good condition, blankets, towels, etc. The center is not accepting furniture or appliances, but people who want to donate either can call the center and their items will be used later, when the cleanup is over.

The center hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, until the flood cleanup is finished. Volunteers and donations are needed.

Teams from the Carlton County Assessor’s Office plan to hit the ground on Monday to complete emergency assessments of households damaged in the disaster areas.

A preliminary count of homes within flooded areas showed that 774 homes had flooding to some degree. The flooding had impacts in nearly every one of Carlton County’s 24 townships.

More detailed estimates of damage will be available over the next week. Carlton County officials are scheduled to meet with a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) field team on Thursday.

Tags: carlton county, news, updates, flood