DRAYTON, N.D. -- Portions of a dike that has kept Drayton residents safe from floodwaters for almost 20 years must be removed, a federal agency has declared.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which purchased 16 parcels of land along the Red River in Drayton after the 1997 flood with a buyout program, has told city officials the dikes on the lots FEMA owns must be taken down by Oct. 12, according to a Feb. 2 letter from the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. The announcement has left some residents wondering what plans, if any, FEMA has to prevent flooding.
“My personal opinion is, why would there ever be a program that leaves a community without flood protection?” KodaBank Vice President Rob Boll said. “Why would (FEMA) initiate an offer or go along with a buyout program if it was going to mean we had to dismantle our dike system? It doesn’t make sense.”
The earthen dike, some of which existed before FEMA offered the buyouts, follows the Red River along the east side of the Drayton, which is home to about 800 people and is about 50 miles north of Grand Forks. The dike has helped prevent flooding in Drayton five times since the 1997 flood, according to city handouts.
FEMA prohibits permanent structures on bought-out land, but the city didn’t know until August 2014 that included dikes, when the agency told Drayton it was not in compliance with FEMA code because of the dikes.
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Correspondence dating back to Aug. 5, 2014, reveals attempts to resolve the issue, including failed moves to redefine the meaning of permanent structure to exclude a dike. In January 2015, the city offered to buy back the land from FEMA for more than $636,000. KodaBank would have helped cover the cost, but the proposal to repurchase the land from FEMA was ultimately turned down with the agency citing federal acts.
“I guess how it was explained is that FEMA doesn’t want to be in the business of buying and selling and properties,” Boll said. “They don’t want communities jumping on board these programs or these projects thinking all of the while they are going to end up buying them back.”
A map shows five sections of the dike where it must be taken down. The city has hired an engineering consulting firm to prepare for the removal of the dike on FEMA-owned land.
A public information meeting was held June 7 by city officials to inform residents its correction plan included removing the dike on FEMA’s property, which sparked questions and concerns. City staff told residents they have exhausted all resources, included calling the Pembina County Water Resource District and members of Congress for support, Boll said.
“That was the discussion at the meeting with some of the people in the audience as far as, ‘Are we sure this is all that we can do?’ ” KodaBank President Peter Anderson said.
Anderson said residents are upset because they were recently informed about FEMA’s order for the city to remove the dikes, and many have come to him with concerns about flood insurance and land value.
The City Council planned to discuss the dike issue Tuesday.
The city isn’t without options, Boll said. It could move the dike away from the river and toward the city, though that could possibly mean taking space where roads run. The city also could build temporary dikes each year, though that would cost $100,000 to $200,000 per year, which would translate to a water user cost of $246.31 to $492.62 per year.
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Residents have launched a Facebook page asking FEMA to reconsider its decision. “Drayton, ND -- Fight for the Dikes!” has attracted 915 members since it was created June 23.
Residents are in the early phases of organizing, but Anderson said they want to find a solution and work with FEMA.
“My question at the meeting was to our engineers: This is the information we got. What can we as citizens do?” he said. “I want to get as much information out there as we can.”
The residents at least hope FEMA will allow the city to delay tearing down the dike sections until Drayton has a plan in place to prevent flooding, Anderson said.
“I think the question that Drayton has is, if these dikes have to come down, what’s the plan?” he said. “Whether these dikes have to come down or stay, to me, the fairest way is to leave them up until we have a plan established.”
