ST PAUL, Minn — Flooding devastated Minnesota early this summer, and now people living in 19 counties can request individual assistance from FEMA.
The initial disaster declaration signed by President Joe Biden on June 28 provided federal money to state, tribal, and local governments to repair public infrastructure in the aftermath of the floods. Now, the assistance program is expanded to help individuals and households.
Those counties where residents can receive individual assistance are Blue Earth, Cook, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue, Itasca, Jackson, Lake, Le Sueur, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, Rice, Rock, St. Louis, Steele, Waseca, and Watonwan.
The Federal Disaster Declaration expansion means people are given resources to be reimbursed for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and repair and replacement of damaged infrastructure, according to the office of Gov. Tim Walz.
“I’m grateful to our partners in the federal government for their continued commitment to our recovery efforts, and to the Minnesotans who carefully documented the extent of this damage," Gov. Walz said in a press release Tuesday.
Walz said FEMA and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Homeland Security and Emergency Management are going to set up disaster recovery centers to help people navigate and understand the programs that are available. Information on those centers is not yet set up, but officials said you can start the process now by creating an application at disasterassistance.gov. You can also call 800-621-3362 to speak with a specialist.
“Minnesotans’ homes, belongings, and family businesses were devastated by flooding this summer, and we aren’t stopping until they get the support they need to recover. This assistance is going to make a world of a difference for the individuals and businesses that were impacted,” Governor Walz said in a press release.
