Governor Tim Walz announced that the President has approved his request for a major disaster declaration for 15 counties and 4 tribal nations in Northern Minnesota impacted by severe storms, winds, and flooding from late April to early June.
"I'm grateful to our federal partners for recognizing the hardship this spring's weather has brought so many Minnesotans," said Governor Walz. "This is one step in the process of recovering from weeks of severe weather and unprecedented flooding across Northern Minnesota. The state will continue to support impacted residents and businesses in every way we can in coordination with the federal government's efforts."
Governor Walz wrote to the President requesting this declaration on June 23. It has been approved for Beltrami, Clearwater, Cook, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, and St. Louis Counties and the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Red Lake Nation, and the White Earth Nation.
This federal disaster declaration unlocks public assistance for these counties and tribal nations to assist with emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.
Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Small Business Association (SBA) are going to make assessments to determine eligibility for impacted residents and businesses to obtain Individual Assistance through FEMA or low interest loans through SBA. Once assessments are made, they will undergo an approval process for authorization.
The federal government recently approved Governor Walz's request for tornado recovery assistance for 23 counties impacted by tornadoes, flooding, and storms in early May. The Governor has also requested an extension for the timeline to request support for a Memorial Day tornado outbreak that caused significant damage in more than 20 counties in order to complete damage assessments.
Categories: Minnesota, Government & Policy