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LONGVILLE - Cass County's investment in new, high-priced communications equipment in the last two years, coupled with emergency service training paid off during the July 12 Brainerd area storm event, Sheriff Tom Burch told the county board Tuesday night.

The commissioners were holding their regular second meeting of the month Tuesday at Longville Fire Department.

Pillager radio tower went out of service for a while, but other towers picked up the calls that would have gone through that tower, Burch said. Cass sheriff's phone lines went out of service for a while, but 911 calls to the dispatch center seamlessly shifted to Itasca County's dispatch center, he said.

The newer capability for all emergency responders from different agencies to communicate with each other worked, he said.

The sheriff's office had trained local teenage volunteers to assist with county emergencies under the Community Emergency Response Team program. Burch said the CERT volunteers were a big help when they were called into service in southern Cass after the storm.

Burch also had set up services for Nixle, a program that allows anyone in the county who signs up to receive either email or text messages when there are lost children or general emergencies affecting the public.

That service enabled Burch to contact his deputies by Nixle alert to let them know they needed to respond to the affected southern Cass townships and cities. He said several deputies reported for work in their own pickup trucks after getting the Nixle alert.

Burch also praised the Pillager Fire Department response.

The county board passed a resolution Tuesday to seek disaster funds from the state and to ask that power companies be included with government agencies in getting up to 75 percent of costs reimbursed.

Emergency Service Director Kerry Swenson reported he figures costs during the first 48 hours after the storm ran $450,000 in Cass County for debris clearance, protective measures, road and bridges, buildings and equipment, utilities and recreation/other. He said total costs will be higher.

Cass County townships affected were Fairview, Homebrook and Sylvan. Cities affected were Lake Shore, East Gull Lake and Pillager.

State emergency funds will not reimburse private property owners for losses to homes or businesses.

Swenson said the current state application for emergency assistance covers only payments to government agencies, but he said the state did extend its help a few years ago for storm assistance in the Cass Lake area to power companies. He hopes he will be able to get that extension for this storm.

In his application to the state for emergency funds, Swenson states, "This storm will end up having long term results and substantial financial impact on the entire area."

Burch said he was aware of only one injury, which did not require medical treatment. Swenson reported two people became lost amid the fall tree debris and needed assistance finding their homes.

So far, Swenson has identified six single family homes and eight multi-family homes having major damage. Another 15 homes and 15 multi-family residences had minor damage. Another 250 single family homes and 85 multi-family residences were affected by the storm, he reported.

Six businesses had major damage. Six more had minor damage. A total of 30 were affected, Swenson said.

Power loss was the most prevalent impact, he said. While a number of people had generators to get their water service and lights restored until the power company could get full service reactivated, Swenson said, there was the problem of private sewer systems becoming overloaded, because generators were not connected to pumps in private sewer tanks.

With tourism the main industry in the affected area, Swenson predicted the resorts and tourism attractions that had to close will suffer long term financial impact.

In other county board action Tuesday covering southern Cass, the commissioners approved asking Minnesota Department of Transportation to do a speed study on County State Aid Highways 70 and 77 in the city of Lake Shore.

The city seeks to have the speed limit lowered from 55 miles per hour to 45, County Engineer David Enblom said. Only the state can set speed limits, he said.

The city is concerned that several trails now cross over these roads and other changes since the last speed study have made the current speed hazardous.

Whether or not the state lowers the speed, Enblom said, the state study at least may recommend more warning signs by trail crossings and other high risk areas.

Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.[[In-content Ad]]

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