NELSON MEETS FAMILIES DISPLACED BY FLOODING;

TOURS FLOODED AREAS OF BLAIR
July 10, 2011 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson met with Washington County families who have been forced from their homes by floodwaters. Nelson also toured areas of the City of Blair that are at risk or have already been affected by overflow from the Missouri River.
“Today I stood on a Missouri River bluff near Blair and saw a river that looks more like a wide, endless lake,” Senator Nelson said. “This year’s historic flooding has already caused a lot of hardship, economic loss and tremendous expense for families, businesses and communities up and down the river. My heart goes out to the people here – and throughout Nebraska and the Midwest – who have had to leave their homes, farms and businesses.”
Nelson was in Washington County to meet with people who are displaced to temporary emergency housing on the campus of the former Dana College. The City of Blair has made 75 rooms available in a three-story dormitory, which includes small kitchens, laundry facilities, and common rooms with toys and games for children. Churches and local businesses have been volunteering to provide dinner each night, and area residents have been volunteering to clean and set up the dorm rooms.
“It’s important for me to hear firsthand accounts about how the floods are impacting people’s lives. I will make sure their voices are heard in Washington, D.C. and they get the federal relief they need to put their lives back together after the waters have receded. I’ll work with federal officials to expedite the process as much as possible,” Nelson said.
There are 111 people currently checked into Blair’s emergency housing units at Dana College, including 31 children. Many are from an apartment building that had been evacuated on the north side of Blair, and several others are from a trailer court that had to be shut down along the west bank of the Missouri River. Other temporary residents include people from both Iowa and Nebraska whose routes to work are disrupted by the flood.
The cost to each family is $150 per month, with the City of Blair and Washington County splitting all additional expenses. The first people checked in on June 11.
“The volunteers pulling together to help their neighbors during this flood are a great example of our Nebraska spirit shining through adversity,” Nelson said. “And the public officials from the City of Blair deserve a lot of credit for working so hard to meet the needs of citizens in their hour of need.”
After leaving the emergency housing site, City Administrator Rod Storm showed Nelson many of the areas of Blair affected by the flooding. Nelson got to examine the municipal water facilities and the levees protecting the east side of Blair, and inspected a damaged apartment building in the northern part of town.
Blair is one of the few municipalities in Nebraska to get its water supply directly from the Missouri River and not from groundwater wells. The drinking water and wastewater facilities are protected from the floodwaters by levees, and additional pumps are now being used to discharge wastewater during the flooding. Currently, city officials do not believe Blair’s water supply is in danger.
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