Extreme fire danger continues in northern Minnesota
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for 13 counties in northern Minnesota effective Monday, July 13, from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. due to extreme fire danger.
Affected counties include Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Clearwater, Cook, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, Marshall, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Roseau, and St. Louis.
A Red Flag Warning means fires can spread quickly and grow out of control under the predicted weather conditions, including very high temperatures, strong wind gusts, and low relative humidity. Residents should not burn in counties where a Red Flag Warning is in effect and should also check any recent burning they did to ensure the fire is completely out. The DNR will not issue or activate open burning permits for large vegetative debris burning and discourages campfires during the Red Flag Warning. People should use caution when doing activities that can cause sparks or heat near vegetation by securing trailer chains, parking ATVs on gravel or pavement, and using chainsaws or other equipment outside of the Red Flag warning hours.
“Any spark could become a wildfire under Red Flag Warning condition and embers can be carried for over a mile in high winds like this,” said Karen Harrison, DNR wildfire prevention specialist. “People should use extreme caution until conditions improve.”
Red Flag Warnings are evolving situations. Visit the National Weather Service (weather.gov) for updates.
Currently, there are additional burning restrictions in place for Cook, Lake, and northern St. Louis County. For more information and daily updates on current fire risk and open burning restrictions, visit the statewide fire danger and burning restrictions page of the DNR website (mndnr.gov/burnrestrictions). To receive text updates on current fire risk and open burning restrictions in Minnesota text “FIRE” to 66468.
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.