Register for the 54th Annual Governor's Conference

Registration is now active for the 2019 Governor's Homeland Security and Emergency Management conference, which takes place from Feb. 12-14 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center.

Visit the conference website to get information on speakers, hotels and registration. View the agenda and schedule at this link.

New this year: Bring your cell phone! All attendees will use a mobile app to access conference details instead of a printed conference booklet.

Rail Exercise Evaluates Emergency Planning

When an emergency happens along any one of Minnesota’s railways, it takes a collaborative effort to keep the surrounding communities safe. That’s why more than 100 emergency management personnel came together in Freeborn County during the first week of December.

The “Back on Track” railroad exercise put those emergency plans into practice. It involved a fictional ethanol train derailment that prompted participants to walk through the various steps of responding to such an incident. Representatives from multiple city, county and state agencies worked together with the railroad companies to run through emergency plans and response scenarios.

Learn more about rail safety in Minnesota.

Gov. Dayton Requests Presidential Disaster Declaration

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When gale force winds whipped up 10 foot waves and sent them crashing into cities along Lake Superior in October, the damage left behind was devastating.

• Two feet of water inundated Duluth’s Canal Park and its surrounding businesses.
• Debris severely battered the boardwalk.
• Water and sewer systems became overwhelmed by the storm surge.
• Giant and wind gusts equivalent to that of a Category one hurricane destroyed popular tourist areas.  

A state-local joint preliminary damage assessment determined Saint Louis County sustained more than $11.5 million dollars in damages to public property and infrastructure during the historic storm. That’s why Gov. Mark Dayton is now requesting the president to issue a federal disaster declaration. If granted, the declaration would provide disaster assistance to the county to pay for response, recovery and repair costs.

If approved, FEMA would reimburse 75 percent of the associated costs. The State of Minnesota would pay the 25 percent non-federal share. Read more about the FEMA’s disaster declaration process.