U.S. Representative Kristi Noem says she is working on legislation that requires the Army Corps of Engineer to communicate more with the public when flooding is likely to occur. Noem held a town hall meeting in Pierre with residents affected by 2011’s Missouri River Flood. She says the legislation will set thresholds for things like snow pack and rainfall that will require the Corps to alert citizens of a possible flood event. “One of the biggest complaints that we’ve heard in all of this was that nobody knew there was a problem until they had a few days notice to try to save their houses and their homes and businesses. And so that’s one of things that we want to deal with right away is making sure that that doesn’t happen again. That the Corps has clear direction on when certain things seem to be happening as far as stacking up for a flood event that those notifications are being held and the public is fully aware of the situation they’re facing,” says Noem. Pierre Mayor Laurie Gill also attended the town hall meeting. Gill says mild weather has allowed the City of Pierre to begin restoring damage done to city parks and infrastructure. However, Gill says many of the Cities utility services could take several years to fully repair. Gill says many individuals in Pierre are waiting until summer to begin repairing their homes and property.
By Jackelyn Severin