Grand Forks County residents asked to participate in community risk and priorities survey

Mar. 14—GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks County residents can provide feedback through a community risks and priorities survey that will help inform the county’s new multi-hazard mitigation plan.

“Public participation is the backbone of effective planning,” Grand Forks Emergency Manager Kari Goelz said in a news release. “We know that our residents understand their neighborhood best. Their feedback ensures that our mitigation strategies are not just theoretical, but practical and tailored to the real needs of Grand Forks County.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, requires jurisdictions to create and regularly update their mitigation plans so they can request hazard mitigation assistance following an event like a severe winter storm or hazardous materials spill.

Grand Forks County

most recent plan, from 2020,

is due for an update and J. Daniel Schwartz of Nexus Planning and Consulting, LLC, has been hired to design it.

The county had not conducted public surveys in the past, but Schwartz said they have been helpful in other jurisdictions around the state. The results help emergency planners understand what the main risks are for those who live and work in a given area, according to the press release.

“What we want people to do is have a forum where they can answer questions honestly and truthfully — and not worry about any kind of criticism in that regard,” Schwartz said.

The survey, which he said takes between five and seven minutes, is available

online

. Hard copies are also available in the lobby of the Grand Forks County Office, located at 151 S. Fourth St., Grand Forks, ND 58201. Completed hard copies can be mailed to the county office or scanned and emailed to eminfo@gfcounty.org.

All Grand Forks County residents, business owners and stakeholders are encouraged to participate.

Some questions posed by the survey include: how residents prefer to receive communications during potentially dangerous scenarios; Does their community have a designated storm shelter? and whether they are aware of local roads affected by weather conditions such as flooding or fallen trees.

Schwartz presented a basic survey model to the county steering committee, which made some adjustments, although the survey remains largely the same due to the fact that Grand Forks County faces the same dangers and threats as the rest of North Dakota.

A question about encouraging volunteering for rural fire and ambulance services was adjusted to include a wide range of answer options, because rural agencies in particular rely on volunteers, Schwartz said.

“There is a decline in volunteering, so we are wondering what kinds of benefits could be offered to people to incentivize them to want to volunteer for the fire/ambulance service,” he said.

Some options include a child care stipend, fuel reimbursement, mental health support, mentoring, and hourly pay.

More information about updating the MHMP and how to participate in planning meetings is available from the Grand Forks Office of Emergency Management at (701) 780-8217. The planning process is expected to be completed by Aug. 30, with two community meetings scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m., April 7 and May 5, at the Public Safety Center, located at 1220 S. 52nd St.