The Red River Floods of 1997 Oral History Project: Interview with Joel Manske

Titles: The Red River Floods of 1997 Oral History Project: Interview with Joel Manske (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Joel Manske was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1963. During his college years, he did some part time work with the Office of Urban Development in Grand Forks. Following his graduation from the University of North Dakota in 1985, Manske became a full-time employee with the Office of Urban Development. After administering programs for low-income families, he became the Director of the Grand Forks Housing Authority. Manske lost his own home in Grand Forks from the flood. Two years after the flood, Manske was living on a farm southwest of Grand Forks and continuing to direct the Housing Authority in the city. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Manske discusses the flood of 1997 and its impact on housing availability in both Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, Minnesota. He describes the damage that the flood had on homes and apartments in the communities. He also briefly discusses his involvement in the "Angel Program," through which flooded residents were provided $2000 per family by an anonymous donor. He also explains how the flood affected his own property. In the major section of the interview, Manske describes the activities of the Housing Authority in repairing and restoring low-income housing after the flood, and the steps taken to restore the Learning Center program connected to that housing. He also discusses the role of the Housing Authority in planning the construction of new single-family homes in the western part of Grand Forks. This construction program, designed to provide new housing to residents who lost homes either to the flood or the planned dikes for future flood protection, is explained in detail. Manske describes the system of low-interest loans that was developed to permit residents to buy a home that would be more expensive than the one they lost because of the flood. Finally, Manske offers observations about the flood's impact on housing costs in the communities and on the future population growth of the communities.

Dates

• 06/19/1998 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Manske, Joel
• interviewer: Shoptaugh, Terry L.

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 57
• Accession Number: AV1999.66.19

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'The Red River Floods of 1997 Oral History Project' <OH 57>

Quantity: 2 hours sound cassette 35 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 85 minutes length

Subjects

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