Civil and Municipal - Jan 2024

Mayor Steve Gander recounts the severity of the flood: “Any homes inside the floodplain had water up to the second floor. That’s how bad the flood was and how low some of those homes were along the river.” The flood forced the removal of century-old homes and those built over the past several decades for the protective levee construction. The aftermath led to a city-wide evacuation lasting three weeks and caused adversity among residents. Gander recalls the negative predictions from skeptics, “Some naysayers were out there saying things like this town is dead. It is highly vulnerable to flooding. It’ll be a ghost town before you know it.” Undeterred by the challenges, the residents and businesses rallied together. “We didn’t hesitate. We rebuilt our washed-out clinic quickly to get it reopened to see patients,” the mayor continues. The district embarked on the journey of reconstruction. “One by one, people did that same thing,” states Gander. The resilience of East Grand Forks was further solidified by implementing a flood protection system. This process, funded by federal and state resources, represented hundreds of millions of dollars in investments. Certified by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the system elevated the entire city out of the floodplain. Gander has a high level of confidence in the infrastructure, saying, “Reinvest your money here. It’s going to be safe, probably safer from flooding than almost any community in the country.” The repositioning of levees allowed the spacious Greater Grand Forks Greenway to be developed.While acknowledging the sadness and tragedy associated with the loss of neighborhoods, the mayor adds,“The levee creates a buffer where once you are down there, you are secluded.” Extensive trails stretch 40 miles between East Grand Forks and Grand Forks. This infrastructure provides residents with a scenic and accessible outdoor space. The reconfigured landscape facilitated a campground along the river that boasts 113 campsites, many equipped with full hookups and utilities. East Grand 128 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 01