FEMA hosts briefing for flood affected counties

Published 1:52 pm Friday, October 15, 2010

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be hosting a meeting Tuesday to brief the counties that applied for funding following last month’s flooding. Mower County is included in the list of counties that have applied.

The meeting will be held in Rochester at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the Union of Operating Engineers,1756 County Road 16 SW. The meeting will address applicants in Mower, Winona and Olmsted counties.

According to Emergency Management Director Wayne Madson, FEMA and the counties will solidify total damage numbers during the meeting. In the coming weeks, FEMA representatives will travel to each of the counties affected.

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According to Madson, the Governor’s request for assistance under the FEMA Individual Assistance Program has been denied. This assistance typically is set for homes and private properties. Damage estimates need to hit a certain dollar amount for the funding, and Madson said it’s possible that still could happen.

However, the Governor’s request for assistance under the Small Business Administration’s Physical Damage and Economic Injury loan program has been approved.

The counties included in this declaration include the primary counties of:

* Martin

* Olmsted

* Steele

* Wabasha

and the contiguous counties of:

* Blue Earth

* Dodge

* Faribault

* Fillmore

* Freeborn

* Goodhue

* Jackson

* Mower

* Rice

* Waseca

* Watonwan

* Winona