BEMIDJI — Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency on Friday, June 27, following the severe storm that caused widespread damage in Beltrami County.
The governor also directed state agencies to provide additional assistance to support recovery efforts. The emergency order allows for continued support to emergency responders and affected communities. Walz toured the area and spoke with local officials about their needs on Tuesday.
The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will continue coordinating on-site support for local government, and relevant state agencies will provide additional necessary assistance.
Around the hard-hit city of Bemidji, crews have been hauling away tree debris from the storm. City Public Works Director Sam Anderson said the trees are being processed on site with a great big wood chipper.
"We are essentially processing what we're receiving and creating mulch, and then that contractor is actually hauling it away, so we're creating capacity as we go," Anderson said.
"As far as the overall mulching volume, I think we have a plan in place for that. But that could be something that comes up on a bigger scale as other facilities are starting to fill up, and that's still the unknown: How much really is there going to have to be that we have to keep track of?"
As storm cleanup will likely take months, if not years, Anderson said in a brief KAXE ride-along on June 27 that crews will be around multiple times to help residents.
"We're doing — at least right now — the first round on our city streets. We do anticipate a second, maybe even a third," Anderson said.
"We're still trying to get a scope and scale out — there's people that are having struggles, even pushing what they have to the street because of how much volume they do have."
Volunteers with the American Red Cross were expected to begin damage assessments around the storm-impacted areas of the western Leech Lake Reservation on Monday.
American Red Cross and Salvation Army will provide resources at the former First National Bank building in downtown Bemidji through Wednesday.
