University of Minnesota Extension Response to Red River Flooding in Spring 2009

Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MINNESOTA
(N/A)
ST PAUL,MN 55108

Performing Department
Extension

Non Technical Summary
Northwest Minnesota experienced significant flooding in March and April of 2009. Hundreds of homes and buildings have been affected in urban (Moorhead) and rural areas of the Red River Valley. University of Minnesota Extension is responding to this disaster by mobilizing several program areas of Extension, including its Extension Disaster Emergency Network (EDEN) team. The primary efforts will be to produce and distribute educational materials associated with immediate and short-term responses to the flooding disaster. Along with the products, staff will assist citizens at flood recovery centers. Univeristy of Minnesota Extension delivers information and resources to its citizens to assist them in making informed decisions.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
903	6099	3020	60%
804	5320	3020	40%

Knowledge Area
804 - Human Environmental Issues Concerning Apparel, Textiles, and Residential and Commercial Structures; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
5320 - Houses (human residences), furniture, household equipment, non-textile furnishings; 6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Keywords

flood education

flood recovery

flooding

Goals / Objectives
The primary goals embedded in this proposal are to provide information and educational opportunities to people of the Red River Valley experiencing the flooding disaster. This includes providing telephone and internet access to affected citizens, printing and distributing educational publications, and providing technology resources to citizens to assist them in making informed decisions.

Project Methods
Several educational opportunities associated with immediate and short-term responses to the flooding disaster will be conducted. First, a series of video modules will be produced and distributed covering the issues of floor and wall assessment and cleaning, determining home contents to save after flooding, and addressing private septic systems. Second, a staff person will hired to staff Recovery Center booths to distribute resources. Marketing efforts, such as highway billboards and newpaper ads, will also be used to reach nontraditional audiences regarding the resources available through Extension. Moisture meters will be purchased and distributed to Extension offices for citizen use to assist homeowners in their recovery efforts.

Progress 06/15/09 to 12/14/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: This grant was in direct response to the floods in the Red River Valley in 2009. Two videos were designed and produced--one pertaining to home clean-up after a flood and the other on home septic systems after a flood. Marketing efforts pertaining to flood resources were an outcome of this grant. These included newspaper ads as well as highway billboards. The purchase of commercial-grade moisture meters were also made with grant funds. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for this project was flood victims in the Red River Valley in northwest Minnesota. This audience is divided in its characteristics. One segment of the audience is agricultural producers located throughout the countryside where the flooding primarily affects their fields and requires alternate management strategies for their crops. The other segment of the audience is residents in the cities that are located in the flood plain. Often times this audience segment is characterized by families of broad ethnic and socio-economic diversity. This led to awareness of the languages used in our response materials. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
Outcomes and impacts were challenging to measure with this project as funds were used for immediate response assistance. While we can not directly account for sources of referrals, the spike in web hits during the flood may be attributable to the marketing efforts for the website and phone line calls. Extension printed materials were delivered to flood victims with the assumption that they were read and contributed to subsequent decision-making. The moisture meters were "checked-out" to flood victims--again with the assumption that decisions were better made with the data they provided.

Publications

No publications reported this period