Dalrymple Asks For FEMA Extension - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Dalrymple Asks For FEMA Extension

Governor Jack Dalrymple has made a formal request for an extension of the use of temporary housing units provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Federal FEMA officials met with Governor Dalrymple yesterday advising him to make the request for a six month extension due to the housing shortage in the area.

There are still 1,263 temporary housing units in the Mouse River valley hosting nearly 3,000 people.
The original deadline to be out of those THUs was set for December 24th.
The six month extension would push the deadline into June, allowing more time for local, state and federal partners to address the housing issue.
The extension will need to be approved by FEMA headquarters.
Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator Daniel Alexander says that while the extension approval does not have an official timeline, the housing shortage in the Mouse River valley has drawn the attention of FEMA at a national level.

(Daniel Alexander, Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator, Denver Office) "We're very hopeful that we're going to be able to turn the corner here and that with the city support and getting information to get a better handle on what those needs are in Minot for housing. We certainly hope that's going to be successful."

Alexander holds a new position at the regional FEMA office in Denver.
The Mouse River flood is the first disaster of magnitude in our region that has required such a position.