Flood news to use
The St. Louis County Flood Resource Center offers content on the latest flood news and activities.By: News Tribune staff, Duluth News Tribune
St. Louis County Flood Resource Center
The St. Louis County Flood Resource Center offers content on the latest flood news and activities. The Resource Center can be found at stlouiscountymn.gov/flood. The Flood Resource Center includes available map services to use as recovery and rebuilding efforts continue. The map resources are at stlouiscountymn.gov/floodmaps.
Free pickup of flood-damaged materials
Free curbside collection of flood-damaged materials will be offered Friday through July 19 in Duluth, Hermantown, Proctor, Rice Lake Township, Lakewood, Canosia, Grand Lake, Duluth Township, Solway Township and Midway Township.
The pickup is offered by the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, which already had agreed to accept waste from the flood free of charge at its Materials Recovery Center off Rice Lake Road and is now contracting with local haulers to provide curbside pickup for flood victims.
The WLSSD asks that residents make use of this service only to deal with flood-related waste, not other types of garbage. Hazardous waste also can’t be picked up — that still must go to the WLSSD Household Hazardous waste Center in Duluth.
Residents are asked to sort flood-damaged materials into four categories:
Residents should dispose of any kitchen waste using their conventional garbage-hauling services.
Red Cross help
Flood victims across Northeastern Minnesota who need assistance from the Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross should call (218) 722-0071.
The Red Cross reopened its Duluth shelter Tuesday at the Secondary Technical Center on the Central High School campus, 802 E. Central Entrance, after receiving calls from people who had run out of temporary housing options.
“We were ready for a potential second wave of shelter clients,” said Judy Hanne Gonzalez, executive director of the Northland Chapter. “People have done everything they could to bridge the time until they could get back into their homes. Some now realize that isn’t happening anytime soon and they have run out of options.”
Hanne Gonzalez said the Red Cross is beginning one-on-one casework, with volunteers ready to evaluate and help meet the needs of individual families. Residents affected by the floods who would like assistance from the Red Cross should call the Northland Chapter at (218) 722-0071.
The Red Cross is distributing household clean-up kits and emergency kits from its office at 2524 Maple Grove Road in Duluth.
Carlton County meetings
Two flood-related community meetings will be held in Carlton County today, the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office has announced.
A meeting will be held at 5 p.m. at Carlton County Shops, 1630 County Road 61 in Carlton and another at 7 p.m. at Thomson Town Hall, 25 E. Harney Road.
Free flood-recovery buckets available
Buckets filled with supplies to help clean up homes from flooding will be available at Faith United Methodist Church, 1531 Hughitt Ave., Superior (the Church behind Hardees) for pick-up this week. Anyone from the area who has experienced damage from flooding can receive a kit.
The supplies are provided by Wisconsin and regional United Methodist Churches through the United Methodist Committee on Relief. The five-gallon buckets with resealable lids include scouring pads, sponges, scrub brush, cleaning towels, liquid laundry detergent, household cleaner, dish soap, clothes line, dust masks, disposable waterproof gloves, work gloves, heavy duty trash bags, insect repellent spray, air freshener and clothes pins. Call (715) 394-9608.
Carlton County damage disposal
Carlton County residents can dispose of flood-damaged electronics free from 1-7 p.m. Friday in the north parking lot of the Carlton County Courthouse, 301 Walnut Ave., Carlton. John’s Twin Ports Recycling is collecting electronics only. No other materials will be accepted.
Carlton County residents are also urged to get storm-related residential/noncommercial waste out of homes and sorted. There are multiple options for residents to dispose of waste.
Sorting garbage is crucial for public health and safety reasons. The county is urging residents to separate household hazardous waste, appliances, electronics, demolition and solid waste (for example: ruined carpets and furniture), food waste and woody waste. Collection points will require that this material be separated.
Carlton County residents can bring their flood debris to these locations. Waste accepted include construction demolition, household hazardous waste, appliances and municipal waste. Storm-related residential/noncommercial debris that is sorted is accepted free of charge.
Special hours through Saturday:
Curbside pick-up is currently happening in Moose Lake. Dumpsters are available in Thompson and curbside pick-up is slated to start today. A schedule for pickup is being developed for rural townships.
Carlton County property assessments
Carlton County needs to inspect and reassess all properties damaged in this week’s flooding, Carlton County Assessor Marci Moreland said. The purpose of the reassessments is for property tax relief and to help determine eligibility for any federal assistance that may come available.
Inspections began Monday. To get an accurate accounting of damage, it is best that property owners do not make any repairs before the inspection, unless the repairs are necessary immediately.
Property owners who suffered damage due to the floods can call the assessor’s office at (218) 384-9142 or (218) 284-9144. Callers who can’t reach anyone are asked to call (218) 384-9149 and leave their name, address and phone number.
St. Louis County assessor needs your flood story
If structures on your property have been damaged or destroyed as a result of the recent flooding disaster, you may be eligible to receive some property tax relief on this year’s property taxes as well as property taxes payable next year. The type of tax relief you could receive will depend on whether your property is homesteaded, whether it is within a declared disaster or emergency area, the amount of damage sustained and a variety of other factors.
St. Louis County can take information of damage to your property by using the form at www.stlouiscountymn.gov, call the County Assessor’s office at (218) 726-2304 or by visiting a County Assessor’s office in the Duluth Courthouse, the Virginia Northland Office Center or the Ely Services Center.
Storm sand debris sites reopen
Because of widespread flood damage, the city of Duluth is reopening the spring Road Sand Collection sites for homeowners to use (no contractors) for disposal of sand and gravel left by the storm. The sites are for sand and gravel only, no large rocks or brush please. The sites are for homeowner disposal, not contractors.
The collection sites are marked with black silt fencing and a sign. They are open to all Duluth residents to dump road sand from their yards, sidewalks, curbs and gutters. Sites are at the following locations:
Catch basins lead directly to our streams and Lake Superior, not to the wastewater treatment plant. Please do not dump anything into them. Contact the city of Duluth at (218) 730-4130 during business hours or (218) 730-4100 on evenings and weekends to report any illegal discharge or dumping.
For additional information regarding this program, please contact Project Coordinator Chris Kleist at (218) 355-0598.
Help with insurance claims
Insurance experts with the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s consumer response team can help Minnesotans understand their rights, work with insurers to settle claims and help storm victims make informed insurance decisions. The team can be reached at (651) 296-2488 or (800) 657-3602 or consumer.protection@state.mn.us.
Tags: flood info, how to help, flood, news, wlssd
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