Support for displaced Grand Forks residents (The Flood of 1997) continues at UND-LR, with ongoing housing, meal, clothing, medical and ministerial support.
At Tuesday morning’s update on the Lake Region’s evacuation response, Ramsey County Emergency Response Manager Tim Heisler gave the following statistics: as of 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, 1,663 individuals had registered with at the UND-LR emergency shelter, with approximately 500 staying in area motels, 117 sheltered in UND-LR dormitories and 17- housed at Camp Grafton.
Heisler expects those numbers to increase as evacuation of Drayton, N.D., begins and evacuees are sent here to help ease the congestion at Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Topping the list of continuing requests for those fleeing the flood to register with the emergency shelter at UND-LR even if they are staying with friends, relatives or at motels.
Flood evacuees are also requested to fill out change-of-address forms, so their mail can catch up with them.
The Devils Lake Post Master is setting up postal facilities at UND-LR and Camp Grafton.
Help for flood victims is available by calling:
● Emergency shelter at UND-LR — 662-1501/1520.
● Ramsey County Emergency Response Center — 662-70002/7005
● 24-hour counseling service — 662-5050
● FEMA — 1-800-462-9029.
A briefing series has been set up to answer the “what now” questions most flood evacuees. The briefs will be conducted Tuesday in the UND-LR auditorium at
● 9 a.m. — American Red Cross briefing on financial and medical needs.
● 10:30 a.m. — Banking questions. Representatives from Grand Forks and area banks will
answer general insurance questions on banking activities.
● 1 p.m. — Insurance questions. Insurance company representatives will answer questions
and discuss what to expect when flood victims meet with their insurance companies.
● 2 p.m. — Unemployment questions. Unemployment compensation questions will be answered.
The briefs are initially scheduled for one presentation, but will be scheduled again if the flood evacuees request them, a UND-LR spokesperson said.
The Devils LAke Public School System will be accepting flood victim students on a case-by-case basis. Parents are asked to telephone the following numbers for the appropriate grade:
● 662-7626 for kindergarten through fourth grade
● 662-7664 for fifth through eighth grades
● 662-1200 for ninth through twelfth grades
Devils Lake Public School District Manager Scott Privratsky says the students will be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
The following donation items are urgently needed: kleenex, contact solution, mouthwash, tampons, panty shields, powder with corn solution, denture cream, denture paste, pillows, hair gel, hand lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, hairbrushes, combs, booster seats, cribs, playpens, Desitin ointment, disposable training pants, baby bath oil, bath towels, underwear, kid’s shoes, men’s socks and rubber boots.
Donations are to be taken to the west entrance of UND-LR. All donations will be acknowledged at a later date.
UND-LR staff are producing “Lake Region Shelter News,” a daily newsletter, to keep flood victims informed about questions and issues concerning the evacuation. The “Shelter News” will be distributed to evacuees, area hotels and restaurants, nursing homes and common meeting areas by 5 p.m. each day.
This was taken from the pages of the Devils Lake Journal archives, Tuesday, April 22, 1997.