REGIONAL- The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has approved individual disaster assistance for residents in 19 Minnesota counties, including St. Louis, Itasca, Lake, and Cook, that were affected by this summer’s heavy rainfall and flooding.
While word of the decision had already come out, Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith made formal announcements of the aid on Tuesday.
“This assistance is going to make a world of difference for the individuals and businesses that were impacted,” said Gov. Walz. “We aren’t stopping until they get the support they need to recover.”
“That individual relief is going to help people in a big way with their individual repairs,” Sen. Klobuchar said during a press conference. “Minnesotans are still struggling with the aftermath of the severe flooding, and I appreciate the swift declaration from President Biden following our request for aid.”
Sen. Smith echoed the sentiment. “These expanded resources for individuals in more counties in Minnesota will make a huge difference as communities work to rebuild.”
While the initial disaster declaration for Minnesota was issued in late June, that only covered assistance needed by governmental units to address critical public infrastructure needs. More extensive damage assessments of individual properties over the ensuing weeks were necessary to establish that the state had enough monetary damage to meet FEMA’s minimum threshold for the individual assistance program. Damage assessments are ongoing, and more counties may be added to the eligible list in the future.
In St. Louis County, assessors visited 716 private properties and inspected about 1,973 structures, according to Mary Garness, director of public records and property valuation. About 374 total structures on 332 separate parcels suffered damage that qualified for property tax relief, and the estimated amount of damage to private property owners totaled more than $11.846 million.
“The June flood was devastating for so many families and business owners,” Garness said.
State Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, who urged FEMA to approve disaster claims swiftly in a letter cosigned by District 3A Rep. Roger Skraba, applauded the agency’s prompt response. “This is great news for homeowners across the Northland who are trying to recover from this devastation,” Hauschild said. “This federal assistance is a gamechanger for the folks of Northeastern Minnesota.”
Minnesotans will benefit from revisions to the FEMA individual assistance programs initiated by the Biden administration in March that are designed to cut red tape, provide funds faster, and give people more flexibility on how the funds are used.
The individual assistance program includes a new cash relief benefit called Serious Needs Assistance, which will provide a $750 grant for evacuation costs, temporary housing, and basic household needs. Low-interest loans from FEMA will cover uninsured property losses, and the range of repairs allowed to be done with FEMA funds has been expanded. Determinations of what specific assistance is available to individuals will be made from information submitted with their applications.
For those who may need additional assistance in applying, FEMA and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) division will establish disaster recovery centers to ensure residents and businesses understand the available programs. Officials recently indicated that Virgina may be a potential location for such a center in this region, although no official determination has been made at this time.
Those impacted by flooding may apply for assistance online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362, available seven days a week from 6 a.m. -10 p.m.
Emergency officials have noted that individual assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses, but it can help meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts.
MPR News contributed to this report.