County cleaning up after flood

Countywide recovery efforts are underway in the wake of recent flooding.
Public infrastructure damage is currently totaled at $1.9 million. $260,000 of that is in debris clearance costs. Damage to roads and bridges was $472,324, and damages to utilities equaled $300,000. Another $330,000 was found in damage to public buildings.
On an individual assistance level, 219 private properties have been reported with damage. The cities and county do not report these damages; it’s up to homeowners to submit their claim to the proper authorities. The office of Steele County Emergency Management does not anticipate any more properties reporting flood damage.
The county ranks the damage on a five-color scale from blue, unaffected, to red, destroyed. Most reported private properties have ranked either green or yellow for minor to moderate damage. No current damage reports have ranked a property as destroyed. 14 businesses also reported damages.
The county assesses the damage so they can turn the reports over to homeland security in hopes of receiving aid. The threshold for receiving aid as a county is $130,000, which current damage has exceeded. 
The threshold for receiving aid as a state is $7.4 million. When all of the counties affected by the recent flood finish reporting their damages, they’ll know if they’ve collectively qualified for further aid. If they have, FEMA workers will be sent in to do further assessments.
There were no casualties or serious injuries sustained during the flood. No water rescues were required.
Rivers are returning to pre-flood levels, and water gauges have started reading at normal levels again. All most all township roads are now open.
Emergency Management credits the preemptive measures taken by the county and cities in the last few years as a major reason for the decrease in damages and injuries, as opposed to the 2010 flood.
“The counties and cities did a good job of getting out where there was flooding,” a management representative said. People also showed a lot of good sense and obeyed the warning and barricades that were placed.
“This flood was a pretty significant rainfall,” the representative continued noting, however, that while close, water levels did not exceed those of the 2010 flood. More diversity in rainfall levels across the county also helped.
“We didn’t have that countywide flooding like we did in 2010,” he said.
The county is currently utilizing its debris clearance plan. If residents leave their debris on the right of way in front their house, the county will clear it for free. The clearance is just about complete with Wednesday being the deadline for placing debris for removal.