Second Angel Appears for Flood Victims
By Lorna Benson
May 8, 1997

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When an anonymous donor announced she would give $2000 each to flooded-out Grand Forks and East Grand Forks residents, city officials said there WAS a limit to the money. But Just as the anonymous Angel flood fund was about to run out, the residents of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks got some good news about a second Angel. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson has the story.

ANOTHER DONOR HAS STEPPED FORWARD, giving an addition $5 million to residents hurt by the flood. Like the original donor, dubbed "Angel" by many, this donor also wishes to remain anonymous. North Dakota Community Fund spokesman, Kevin Dvorak, will only say that the money is coming from a charity belonging to an American business.

WE THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY WONDERFULLY REFRESHING THAT A BUSINESS WHO MIGHT BENEFIT FROM PEOPLE KNOWING OF THEIR GENEROSITY HAS DECIDED TO ALSO REMAIN ANONYMOUS IN RESPECT TO THE EXAMPLE SET BY THE ORIGINAL ANGEL.

The original Angel has already paid out nearly $15 million to residents in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. Some 7500 people have received or will soon receive a personal check for $2000.

But the demand for the free flood money has far exceeded the capacity of the fund. Officials say they have received more than 12,000 applications from residents who want a check.

Grand Forks City Attorney, Howard Swanson, says the new donation will help an additional 5000 residents. They'll get $1000, half as much money as early recipients. But Swanson predicts there will be at least another thousand applicants who won't get money.

QUITE FRANKLY THERE IS GOING TO BE A POINT WHERE THE LAST CHECK IS WRITTEN AND THE FUND WILL NO LONGER HAVE MONEY IN IT AND WE WILL MISS SOME PEOPLE.

Swanson says he can understand if those people are disappointed, but he says it is not helpful to second-guess how officials distributed the money. He says aid workers ventured into uncharted territory as they were determining how to hand out the money. They did not require applicants to prove their need because Swanson says it would have delayed the check writing process, and it was pointless.

MORE THAN 80% OF OUR COMMUNITY WAS PHYSICALLY IMPACTED BY WATER AND IT IS NOTHING MORE THAN A JUDGMENT CALL AS TO WHETHER YOUR DAMAGE WAS MORE SEVERE THAN OUR DAMAGE. HOWEVER, I THINK IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO LOOK AT LINCOLN PARK AND NOT CONCLUDE THAT THOSE HOMES WHO WERE ENTIRELY INUNDATED BY WATER WERE HARDEST HIT.

Swanson says more than 90% of the residents in Lincoln Park, the Riverside neighborhood, and downtown Grand Forks have already received checks.

And while officials are not handing out any more applications for free flood money, Kevin Dvorak is not ruling out the possibility of yet another angel.

THE FIRST ANGEL'S HOPE WAS THAT THIS WOULD BE A LEAD GIFT AND ADDITIONAL GIFTS MIGHT COME IN. I THINK THE FIRST ANGEL'S GIFT WAS BEYOND ANYONE'S COMPREHENSION, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S SUNK IN YET WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE SPEED WITH WHICH IT'S GONE OUT AND THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HELPED. IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT'S UNPRECEDENTED.

Officials say residents who don't receive checks can take heart in the fact other funds are also on the way. The Minnesota Legislature this week approved $21 million for statewide flood services. There are also hundreds of millions of dollars available in federal aid.

Go to Flood of 1997.