Judging from the news, it's a day for reflection and remembrance. The Wetterling family will mark Jacob Wetterling's 30th birthday with prayer and a request that families talk about safety with their children. That's always timely. Jacob, who remains missing, was kidnapped at gunpoint on October 22, 1989. He was 11 years old then.
In southeastern Minnesota, there's a blizzard warning out as the edge of a winter storm touches that corner of the state. The bad weather underscores the Winona Daily News's inventory of post-flood rebuilding efforts. The top story? In Rushford, there is hope for normalcy.
Others to check out:
- Stockton: There has been progress since flood
- 'It doesn’t look like Minnesota City anymore’
- St. Charles: A time like this brings out the best
- Whitewater State Park’s recovery crucial to Elba
- Goodview changed forever by flood
- Houston: It could have been much worse
A final story, Counting flood damage in dollars and cents looks at the flood's lingering economic impact. Some tidbits:
In October, Winona County officials pegged total recovery costs at $77.85 million. That includes damage to both private property and infrastructure, property buyouts in flood-prone areas, demolition and environmental costs.
Then there are the “hidden” economic costs, like lost productivity for businesses, Grover said. She added that a “trickle-down” effect could harm businesses that weren’t directly affected.
In Rushford, for example, officials say businesses have been quick to re-open, only to struggle in a community that’s still impoverished by the disaster.
The area has received a lot of private and public aid, but one source of funding that helps the cleanup and out-of-work individuals is about to end:
Conversely, the flood also brought an infusion of outside dollars from state, federal and private relief agencies.
The state already has allocated $77 million for flood recovery in seven counties, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
The relief funds are helping revitalize the area’s battered economy, Grover said. But she said the economic losses from the flood are far more evident than the gains.
“I’m not seeing the economic boost on the positive side � mostly, it’s a downturn,” Grover said.
Local residents whose jobs were displaced by flooding also are in danger of losing access to a government program to employ them.
The Winona Workforce Center has enrolled more than 100 participants � including some who were unemployed before the flood � to clean up flood debris, using a National Emergency Grant from the Department of Labor.
But federal guidelines only allow victims to work for an equivalent of six months in full-time hours, or up to a wage cap of $12,000.
Those rules could leave workers unemployed in the coming months, said program director Steve Runkle. Runkle said he’s lobbied Rep. Tim Walz, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman to adjust the federal guidelines.
And meanwhile, potential health threats have been raised with the FEMA trailers.
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