Floods
Listen to Alan’s campaign travels – Program 2 – Flood Issues and more
See how one home owner blocks progress on needed upgrades to Moorehead Mn flood control. All because he has the power and money to tell the governing bodies to build the dike around his house out into the river valley which blocks flow. This is how government works when you have conveners like Collin Peterson and Lee Byberg directing politics and not sound policy. A leader/Statesman like Alan Roebke would simply say the house must go, just like the 14 on one side of him and the 3 on the other side, to connect to the modern dike (see the upper right corner of the picture)! Leadership, not politics as usual.
Click on Pictures to enlarge and read below 2 pieces and listen to Flood relief lobbying by Alan Roebke in 2007 for citizens of Browns Valley: Plus don’t laugh at my ditch engineer approach for my views come from experience, just like the Traverse County engineers views come when he said.
“I see some farm fields that are dry where there ought to be water, and that tells me a lot,” said Traverse County engineer Larry Haukos. “The wrong part of town is flooded.”
See the letter where Alan Roebke helped the citizens of Brown’s Valley get the funding needed to fight flood waters. Then listen to the Radio call in Alan made to put real pressure on Minnesota state leaders when I was still living in Chaska! Yes, I have spent the vaste majority of my life growing up, being educated, farming, in business, boards, radio program and always leading in the 7th CD of Minnesota for all but a fraction of my life. Only when I took on the establishment and lost big time was I not living in the district or about 5 years out of 60!
Alan Roebke, Chaska, Minn., letter: Forget ethanol; help Browns Valley
Published Wednesday, March 28, 2007Let’s help Browns Valley, Minn., with unneeded ethanol subsidies.You see, our Democratic Legislature and Republican governor send $4 million in taxpayer cash each quarter to their friends in the highly successful ethanol industry. Meanwhile, residents of Browns Valley only receive photo ops and high sympathy from Gov. Pawlenty, our representatives and Congressman Collin Peterson, D-Minn.On KSTP, the governor said “I can’t break the law,” regarding helping Browns Valley. In fact he can and should break an outdated and wasteful spending law, the ethanol producer payment program. All to address a community in real need, and send $4 million or more, destined for wealthy co-ops, to a community in crisis.Now, this is not new news for our St. Paul leaders, as we pay high energy costs. They have had the facts of unneeded ethanol subsidies in their Capitol mailboxes a number of times since November 2005, and again last week.Yet only Rep. Michael Paymar, DFL-St. Paul, wants to address this wasteful policy, as our representatives stand by ethanol. So an additional $85 million in regular and deficiency payments, scheduled through 2013, stay on auto-check. Remember, these companies have already received over $250 million of our money.From what you understand about ethanol profits, do you believe ethanol investors need state help more than Browns Valley?Call St. Paul with your view, for ethanol surely has, and so have I.
In the Fargo Forum, Crookston Times, Hutchinson leader and Chaska Herald
AHR
Now listen to Alan’s call in to pressure our State leaders to deliver by clicking on a short Ethanol tape ! Yes, Alan’s a strong supporter of Tom Emmer as our next Governor for as the tape says only a Republican will be a Goalie for our out of control Minnesota legislature. For as your next Congressmen I will work to modernize both the Mn. legislature and the U.S. Congress. Also note how the ethanol subsidy program is always about over by both Democrat’s & Republicans but as of now they are still bleeding the taxpayer for the last $34 million as real people of need go without.
Startribune: Floodwaters surprise Browns Valley
With water in as many as 50 houses, people in Browns Valley were caught off guard by floods that came from the west.
By Warren Wolfe, Star Tribune
Last update: March 14, 2007 – 11:44 PM
What surprised the people of Browns Valley early Wednesday was that the swirling Little Minnesota River had risen so quickly — and that the flood was coming from the wrong direction.
“It’s the first time since about 1947 that the flood came from the west,” said Traverse County engineer Larry Haukos. “The wrong part of town is flooded.”
As many as 50 houses were flooded early Wednesday and more than 100 people were evacuated in the western and northern parts of the city, some by boat or heavy road equipment run by city officials and volunteers. Sixty people registered at a shelter set up by the Red Cross in the Browns Valley School.
A massive ice jam, perhaps abetted by drainage ditches dug by area farmers, caused the river to flood the west and north parts of the city of 630 people on the South Dakota border, Haukos said.
“I see some farm fields that are dry where there ought to be water, and that tells me a lot,” he said.
“In recent years, any flooding was on the south side of town and the [federal] government bought up that land so people wouldn’t get hurt,” Haukos said. “This is the wrong flood.”
Governor to visit
But on Wednesday, battered after a night helping rescue his neighbors and a day contacting any agency that might help, Mayor Jeff Backer Jr. was trying to decide what to do once the waters recede.
“People are safe, that’s the main thing. And the river dropped about 6 inches. Maybe the governor can help. He’s coming [this afternoon]. We’ve asked for a disaster declaration,” he said.
Many went to bed Tuesday knowing that the Little Minnesota River had been falling. But they were awakened after midnight by the sound of water in the house, a frantic call of warning from a neighbor or a rescuer knocking on the door.
“We thought we were OK, then whoosh!” Backer said. “In the 20 minutes it took me to help rescue one older resident about 1 a.m., the water was up 2 feet around my house.” He has a basement and a car full of water.
As he moved around town Wednesday, the damage before him was awful, he said, and the prospects aren’t good.
“We’re not wealthy people. We’re a community of older people, people on fixed incomes,” Backer said.
“Some people lost everything, house, car, everything but the clothes they’re still wearing.
“And most don’t have flood insurance,” he said. “They’ve never been flooded before.”
‘We’ll need help’
Complicating the outlook for people in Browns Valley is that there’s not nearly the $5 million in damage to roads, bridges and other public structures required to get a federal disaster declaration, engineer Haukos said.
“We’ll need help,” Mayor Backer said. “For sure with cleanup, but then figuring out how what people are going to do.
“I don’t know how many homes we’ve lost, how many will need to be gutted, how many will need major repair,” he said. “All I know right now is we’ll need help.”
Warren Wolfe • 612-673-7253 • wolfe@startribune.com
Recent Local + Metro stories
With water in as many as 50 houses, people in Browns Valley were caught off guard by floods that came from the west.
Warren Wolfe • 612-673-7253 • wolfe@startribune.com
