Bemidji mayor honored nationally for derecho disaster leadership

Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince has been named the fourth recipient of a national disaster leadership award for his role guiding the city through the severe straight-line winds that struck on June 21. The storm, described by some meteorologists as a derecho, knocked out power to thousands of residents and damaged hundreds of homes and businesses across Bemidji and Beltrami County.

A three-judge panel that selected Prince praised his response. “Mayor Prince demonstrated exceptional leadership and resilience during the derecho,” the panel said, adding that “his ability to guide the community to a swift and robust recovery while working to implement innovative measures to protect against future threats truly sets him apart as a leader dedicated to long-term community well-being.” The award, the Tommy Longo Disaster Leadership Award, is presented by the nonprofit LeadersLink and honors city and county officials who lead effective recoveries after major disasters.

Prince said he was surprised to learn he had been nominated by the League of Minnesota Cities and emphasized that he would accept the honor only as a reflection of the community effort that carried Bemidji through the crisis. “For me to say I want to stand above all of that is not anything I'm interested in,” he told reporters by phone, highlighting the roles played by emergency responders, utility crews, local nonprofits and neighbors helping neighbors.

Local leaders were visible in the immediate aftermath. Prince met with Gov. Tim Walz and Beltrami County Emergency Management Director Chris Muller on June 24 to survey damage and coordinate relief efforts. The storm response included rapid power restoration by line crews, coordinated sheltering and outreach from groups such as United Way and Community Resource Connections, and neighbor-to-neighbor assistance that kept critical needs met while formal recovery efforts ramped up.

The award honors the late John Thomas “Tommy” Longo, the former Waveland, Mississippi, mayor who led his city after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and later served as a LeadersLink mentor. LeadersLink Founder and Executive Director Kathleen Koch, who will present the award to Prince in Minnesota in the coming months, framed the recognition as part of a larger need for durable leadership. “As disasters become more frequent and severe, leaders like Mayor Prince are a brain trust for those who follow,” Koch stated.

For Bemidji, the recognition brings national attention to local emergency management practices and to the partnerships that made recovery possible. It also underscores the importance of planning for increasingly volatile weather in the north woods — from tree management and infrastructure resilience to community emergency plans.

Our two cents? Keep staying connected to city and county alerts, check on elderly and vulnerable neighbors before storms, and support local relief groups that stepped up last June so the next severe event finds Bemidji even more ready.