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Klobuchar visits area: Flood victims share concerns with senator (Winona Daily News)

March 25, 2008

By Amber Dulek

RUSHFORD, Minn. — Roger Colbenson doesn’t want politicians to forget what he and hundreds of others have gone through since last August’s flood.

“I am now $220,000 in debt,” said the 66-year-old Rushford resident, landlord and business owner to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. “So many people can’t borrow anymore money, and they’re close to being foreclosed on … None of this is going to help if you don’t get people back into homes.” 

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, right, looks at a map of Goodview with Greg Volkart, director of public works, left front, and City Administrator Dan Matejka at the Goodview City Hall on Monday. Klobuchar made the stop on her way to visit Houston and Rushford to talk with local officials about flood recovery and rebuilding as part of her tour of all 87 counties in Minnesota. (photo by Katie Derus/Winona Daily News)

On a sweeping mission to visit all 87 counties in Minnesota, Klobuchar made stops in Goodview, Houston and Rushford on Monday afternoon to discuss flood recovery and rebuilding efforts with local officials, flood relief workers and case managers. Flood victims such as Colbenson made sure to get a word in with the senator.

The feedback and challenges Klobuchar heard varied with each city, but she found one common theme.

“There is a sense of optimism,” Klobuchar said. “The proof is in the numbers — people have chosen to stay.”

Houston and Goodview representatives reported few if any population changes after the flood. Rushford Mayor Les Ladewig said 55 of 58 affected businesses have reopened and 10 percent of Rushford flood victims are temporarily living out of town.

The stacks of paperwork, looming funding deadlines, conflicting aid rules between federal and state agencies and weather-related issues with Federal Emergency Management Agency mobile homes were problems officials in each city shared.

On Klobuchar’s first stop, officials in Goodview lobbied her support for a $5.3 million water filtration system to keep up with Environmental Protection Agency’s lower radium mandates. Mayor Jack Weimerskirch said residents’ water rates will have increased 250 percent by 2009 without funding behind the federal mandate.

Goodview officials also discussed a $3.5 million project to provide an outlet for Lake Goodview using existing culverts and ditches, and to make a natural dike by redirecting an old road in the west of the town.

While Goodview recommended each relief agency make a checklist for homeowners within 24-hours of a disaster that will help recovery down the road, Houston representatives were concerned with spring flooding if the city’s drainage system wasn’t updated soon.

Mayor Connie Edwards said residents didn’t expect it, but Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response was “great.” Her only issue was empty promises: the city is down $20,000 to replace a squad car and was told it would be reimbursed.

Klobuchar listened to Colbenson and about 20 others gathered in the cramped Rushford library behind City Hall after talking with the city council, mainly about the need to rejuvenate the residential sector of the community with rental and multi-unit housing.

Flood relief workers and case mangers provided statistics on the rising mental health cases in the city. They wanted the state to provide more funding for dislocated worker programs, so residents aren’t out of a job just because they reached an hour or salary limit.

Rushford resident Angie Brown’s workforce job ended last week. She continues to work as a case manager until she decides whether to reopen her flower shop when consumers aren’t back.

“Why didn’t the housing sector get funding?” Brown said. “We need housing in the town like yesterday.”