Author
In the aftermath of the flood, the cities of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks benefited from a torrent of aid from government, especially the federal government. Some assistance was directed toward traditional public uses, such as flood protection and street repair; other aid went to private uses, including assisting businesses and buying out private homes.
The following table is not comprehensive, omitting elusive or hard-to-categorize expenses, such as demolition, temporary housing and federal assistance for school construction. It wasn't possible to break out every type of expenditure or aggregate certain figures compiled by different city governments. But the table lists some of the biggest and most easily identifiable outlays of state and federal dollars in the two cities. Key federal agencies involved in the recovery effort include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Small Business Administration and the Economic Development Agency.
| Housing construction | Expense ($m.) |
Funding source |
|---|---|---|
| Flood control system1 | 324 |
U.S Corps, states of North Dakota and Minnesota |
| Roads, sewers, and other infrastructure | 64 |
HUD, FEMA |
| Commercial and residential buyouts2 | 108.3 |
HUD, FEMA |
| Assistance to homeowners and landlords | 177.2 |
HUD, SBA, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency |
| Housing construction | 17 |
HUD, Fannie Mae |
| Assistance to business | 132.5 |
HUD, EDA, SBA |
| Economic development incentives | 14.6 |
HUD, EDA |
1The city of Grand Forks paid for its share of the $408 million project with property tax and sales tax revenues.
2The buyouts are in addition to properties taken for the flood-contol system.
Source: City, agency records
