NRDP-FEMA Partnerships
Here are some of the successful partnerships that State Councils have had
with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For more information, please
contact Rick Wetherill in the
Office of Community Development.
In 1993, in response to flood recovery needs, Minnesota Rural Partners developed a simple single application form that could be used by communities across the state to access state and federal disaster assistance. During the 1997 Red River Valley flood, the Council was an active partner in putting into action the crisis management plan compiled from the lessons learned in 1993. MRP also broke new ground in providing temporary childcare for families returning to work or assisting with the flood clean-up.
Governor Jim Hunt asked the North Carolina Rural Development Council to prepare an unmet needs document as part of the state's effort to get additional federal funding for rural areas most devastated by Hurricane Floyd, which struck in September 1999. Council staff was used for initial data collection, preparation and analysis, while Council members were used as statewide advisors. Because of this effort, the unmet needs document included input from most state and federal agencies that operate in North Carolina, including FEMA, and was delivered within 36 hours. The state received an appropriation of $836 million from Congress to respond to the disaster, and the North Carolina Rural Development Council's Chair was asked to head the recovery team.
The North Dakota Rural Development Council serves as a full team member on all North Dakota emergency preparedness and recovery efforts, which have included both the immediate response to the floods and severe blizzards of 1997-98 and longer-term rebuilding efforts. In 1997, the Council provided on-site orientation to available disaster assistance and also coordinated an interactive television broadcast, featuring FEMA, SBA, and their recovery programs. Because of the work of the NDRDC, 650 applications for assistance were submitted. Many grants were awarded, including $632,000 for FEMA housing and $1,568,000 in public assistance. The NDRDC further acted as the catalyst for bringing together tribal governments, FEMA, the North Dakota Division of Emergency Management, and community colleges to train tribal government representatives in emergency management planning and practices. This training resulted in the reservations being better prepared to respond to both natural disasters and the more common emergencies of fires and accidents.
At its March 1998 national conference, the National Rural Development Partnership presented a workshop on Rural Partnership for Disaster Recovery that described how State Rural Development Councils assisted with the 1997-98 flood recovery in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota. This workshop encouraged other State Councils to work on emergency preparedness and partner with FEMA to quickly respond to disasters in the future.
