McCook Lake residents speak with county leaders about flood response

ELK POINT, S.D. (KCAU) — More than a dozen frustrated Union County residents spoke with leaders about how the recent historic flooding was handled.

At Tuesday morning’s Union County Board of Commissioners meeting, people shared how upset they were about the lack of communication that left many families stuck in their flooded homes in McCook Lake.

“It was a beautiful day Sunday evening, but just hearing from the communities that were up north saying that it was much worse than they anticipated, you know, we just didn’t get that notification,” McCook Lake resident Denny Haag said.

Board of Commissioners chairman Rich Headid said he understands their complaints.

“Basically we talked about it, ways we can improve as a county, and I think it needs to be done not only county but city as well,” Headid said. “The communication on this one wasn’t the greatest, but we’re going to try to do better and we’re going to try to push it up to the higher-ups so we can get more information. We get it out to people so they can be aware of the situation sooner than later.”

When the meeting was over, Haag said that while he was content with what was discussed, he’s still upset about the lack of communication.

“I think that they listened,” he said. “But the key thing is, will we learn from that experience? Again, they’re so fortunate that lives weren’t lost. It was close.”

But now, residents are looking to the future.

“Obviously they want to rebuild, and that’s what it’s all about,” Headid said. “They won’t rebuild if it’s going to flood again. And I can tell you right now, at this point, as there’s water up north, it’s going to come south. So we’re hoping that in the future we can have a better mitigation plan.”

Headid also said that in times like these, it’s important for people going through loss to have each other’s backs.

“It’s a great community, and as long as they stick together, we can rebuild,” he said. “And that’s what it’s about. You know, these people need to stay together and continue to grow because if you can’t break their spirit, we’re going to stay strong.”

Headid said FEMA is expected to arrive in North Sioux City next week He will also inform the public once he has more information.

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