Governor Walz Visits Ely to Discuss Wildfire Response
By Maren Stewart
Governor Tim Walz today traveled to Ely in northeastern Minnesota where he received a briefing on the spread of wildfires and met with wildfire crews, local officials, first responders, and impacted residents.
“With the continued threat of dangerous and unpredictable fires, I extend my deepest gratitude to the firefighters, National Guard members, and first responders working around the clock to keep Minnesotans safe,” said Governor Walz. “Coordinated response across local, state, and federal partners has made a real difference. And across northeastern Minnesota, neighbors have come together, supporting one another and uplifting those hit the hardest. As response efforts continue and recovery begins, we will do everything in our power to support emergency operations and help impacted communities.”
The Governor’s visit comes as fires in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), ignited by lightning storms on July 6, impact communities across Northeastern Minnesota. Unprecedented hot and dry conditions led to the spread of fires, which have burned over 64,000 acres across Cook, Lake, and St. Louis counties and prompted closure of the BWCAW. Thousands of state and federal personnel are working to extinguish the fires.
Containment across all fires is currently 53% with 1066 personnel working on emergency response. Outside the BWCAW, crews are working to strengthen containment lines, address concentrated pockets of heat, including ash pits, and ensure structure protection. Inside the BWCAW, crews are focused on securing fire perimeters. Additional wildfires west of Echo Lake and east of US Hwy 53 are 95-100% contained. Crews continue to patrol the fires, extinguish lingering heat, and respond to weather related starts when necessary.
On July 12, Governor Walz declared a peacetime emergency and mobilized the Minnesota National Guard, along with additional state resources, to support wildfire response efforts. Days later, the Governor convened a meeting of the Executive Council and voted to extend the peacetime emergency, authorizing continued assistance for an additional 30 days.
Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) is coordinating closely with federal, state, and local partners to support fire suppression, evacuation efforts, and emergency response operations. Responding agencies include the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Transportation, the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center, United States Forest Service, and local emergency responders.
Public Input Wanted as Clearwater County Updates Hazard Mitigation Plan
Clearwater County residents, community leaders, business owners, area agencies and organizations now have an opportunity to share how severe weather events impact their property and lives. There is also an opportunity to share their ideas on how to reduce local impacts in the future.
The Clearwater County Office of Emergency Management is working with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth to update the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). The plan assesses the natural hazards that pose risk to the county, such as flooding, tornadoes, windstorms, winter storms, extreme temperatures, wildfire, and drought. The plan further identifies local vulnerabilities and ways to minimize damage from future events. As the county works to update the plan, it wants to hear from the public.
The Clearwater County HMP is a multi-jurisdictional plan that covers Clearwater County, including all cities and townships within the county. The Clearwater County HMP also incorporates the concerns and needs of school districts, watershed districts, and other related agencies, organizations, or businesses participating in the planning process. The plan will be updated by a planning team made up of representatives from county departments, local municipalities, and other key stakeholders. When completed, the plan will be submitted to the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for approval.
Examples of hazard mitigation include:
- Conducting public outreach on severe weather awareness and preparedness
- Improving stormwater management systems to better handle high-rain events
- Removing existing buildings from flood or erosion prone hazard areas
- Increasing defensible space around homes in high-risk wildfire areas
- Constructing tornado safe rooms in vulnerable areas such as mobile home parks
- Burying overhead powerlines that may fail due to heavy snow, ice, or windstorms
Some mitigation activities may be eligible for future FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant funding.
As part of the planning process, gathering input from the public is an important and required step. Residents of cities and townships, local businesses, and other stakeholders are encouraged to share feedback on the following to incorporate into the plan:
- What are the natural hazards you feel pose the greatest risk to your community?
- Are there specific populations or assets in your community that you feel are more vulnerable to future storm events?
- What concerns do you have, and what sorts of actions do you feel would help to reduce damages of future hazard events in your community or the county as a whole?
To provide your feedback, please contact Clearwater County Emergency Management or submit your comments via the online HMP public feedback form.
There will be additional opportunities for public feedback throughout the planning process. A draft of the plan will be made available for public review prior to submission of the plan to the State of Minnesota. Future news releases will be shared with the media to notify the public of these opportunities.
The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) requires counties to update their plan every 5 years to maintain eligibility for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs.
For more information, contact Logan LeClair, Clearwater County Emergency Management Director at (218) 694-6618 or logan.leclair@co.clearwater.mn.us.