Buffalo Lake not eligible for FEMA

Residents tell Pawlenty that $5 million threshold is too high for small towns

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

BUFFALO LAKE -- Marcia Lietzau and many others in this community of more than 700 think the $5 million uninsured loss threshold level for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance is too high.

Lietzau lives at the end of Buffalo lake's Main Street. Her house wasn't heavily damaged in the June 24 tornado, but many houses near her were. Uninsured losses from the storm that struck the area are about $600,000, leaving it far short of the required benchmark for FEMA money.

"Shouldn't there be a sliding (threshold) scale for smaller towns?" Lietzau asked Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty Monday afternoon in the Buffalo Lake Community Center.

A community official suggested the FEMA threshold be measured on a per capita basis.

Pawlenty said the $5 million figure was an arbitrary number based on state population.

"It's a one size its all approach that could use adjustment," Pawlenty said.

Another state official said the public perception that FEMA will fix everything is false. FEMA is designed to protect government infrastructure.

He added that other federal and state programs like the Farm Service Agency and Small Business Administration offer no-interest and low-interest loans to fill gaps between actual costs what insurance pays.

The discussion followed Pawlenty's announcement that the Renville County Board of Commissioners recently approved making $375,000 in state HUD funding available to help fill funding gaps. The money was originally allocated for county housing and economic development.

Pawlenty and Renville County officials praised the quick action of local emergency workers for helping secure the town after the storm hit.

"I take my cap off to the community and area," Pawlenty said. "Your spirit is strong and your attitude is good. Hats off to you for rallying around each other."

Buffalo Lake Assistance Fire Chief Ken Hubin was working as a 911 dispatcher in Meeker County in Litchfield when the storm struck Buffalo Lake. He was sounding the sirens in Litchfield when the storm hit.

His wife called him and said part of the roof over their home was gone. Homes in three directions around the Hubin home were heavily damaged. Fortunately, there was enough personnel in Litchfield to allow him to drive back to Buffalo Lake. Hubin was one of the first emergency workers in town. He helped coordinate search-and-rescue operations in the first few hours after the storm hit.

"I've been in the middle of lots of tornadoes, but it's different when your town is hit," Hubin said. "It takes people a while to realize they'll have to live with it. We take it one day at a time like everybody else here."

The Hubins have re-shingled their home but they are concerned about the future of a downtown grocery store and bakery that were heavily damaged by the tornado.

Former bakery owner Jeanne Kadelbach said she it's too expensive for her to rebuild the bakery. She would be interested in working in a bakery in the local grocery store if the chance comes along.

Electricity was out for four days after the storm. New power poles adorn the downtown landscape. Boards stand where windows and doors once did in some buildings. Buffalo Lake Days will be held this weekend as originally scheduled.

Neighboring communities are chipping in too. An all-you-can-eat benefit breakfast and silent auction will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, July 27 at the Stewart Fire Barn. Dad's Belgian Waffles will be served along with sausage, fruit and beverages.

All proceeds will go towards the Buffalo Lake tornado victims. Donations can be sent to Buffalo Lake Tornado Fund, 1st Minnesota Bank, P.O. Box 255, Stewart, MN 55385. For more information, call Karen at 320-833-6020.