U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is now one of many legislators to tour flood-affected areas of Austin after a visit Saturday afternoon with city officials.

The senator praised the city for its flood mitigation, and said she will be one of many legislators debating next week in Congress for $2 billion in supplemental funding.

“Sometimes in government it’s hard to see the fruits of your labor,” she said as city engineer Jon Erichson and Mayor Tom Stiehm escorted her on a bus tour of North Main Street. “I just think there’s going to be so much more discussion about flood mitigation nationally now.

“When the dust has settled and floods receded, we can look long-term,” she said.

Erichson showed Klobuchar where a 5-foot earthen berm will be constructed along Austin Packaging Company’s parking lot leading up to a structural wall.

“All we are doing is trying to speed it up a little bit,” Stiehm said when explaining how the city is seeking a matching $5 million for their mitigation project. “We absolutely had damage to some of our areas, but not in the scale of Iowa.”

“We feel we don’t have 10 years to wait on this project,” Erichson said, referring to the city’s plans to accelerate their project schedule.

They also drove by the Wildwood Park residential neighborhood, where 15 of 17 homes have been acquired in a flood buyout project.

“This is a great example of how you can prevent this damage,” Klobuchar said.

At the intersection of Oakland Avenue and Fourth Street Southeast, Stiehm and Erichson pointed out two business who did not accept the city buyouts: Hardy Geranium and Stuttgart Travel & Tan — badly damaged during this year’s flood.

“The people who won’t take the buyouts, what can you tell them?” Stiehm said. “You know they’re going to get flooded again.”

“Everyone refuses them for different reasons,” Erichson added.

Klobuchar told officials she has four points she is focusing on in flood issues, including declaring disaster areas, obtaining Federal Emergency Management Agency funding, small business loans and agriculture relief.

The damage in southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa meets the threshold for a presidential declaration of disaster, Klobuchar said. A request has been submitted to President George W. Bush from Gov. Tim Pawlenty, but a decision has not been announced. Such a declaration would make FEMA funds available for affected areas.

Pointing out that about 10 percent of the nation’s corn crop will be lost due to floods, Klobuchar said she believes farmers may “potentially qualify for permanent disaster relief;” however, at this time she does not have dollar amounts.

“Anything we can make sure our farmers have the assurance they need,” she said.

Following her Austin tour, the senator saw Oakland Township resident Steve Kraushaar’s farm in Glenville, where flooding had damaged his crops. Kraushaar said he lost 8 to 10 percent of his crop in the floods.

He will try to replant soybeans, Kraushaar said, but it’s risky this late in the season. Any corn crop lost is gone for good, he said, and he only expects half the yield of the replanted soybean.

“The dust settles and you see the long-term issues,” Klobuchar said, adding she wanted to tour the affected areas now that dollars lost are known.

Thankfully, Klobuchar said, the farm bill passed with permanent disaster funds for farmers in place. Congress is working on advance payments from the bill, she said.

“This is going to be significant financial hardship for our farmers,” the senator said.

Klobuchar — along with Freeborn County Commissioner Dan Belshan, London Township officials, the Kraushaar family and neighbors — visited the section of Freeborn County Road 34 where the road washed out and killed Dale Wangen. The washout is in Oakland Township, just south of County 34’s corner with County 21.

“It puts things into perspective,” Klobuchar said.

Other legislators toured Austin last week, including Congressman Tim Walz on June 13, U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, June 14 and Gov. Tim Pawlenty, June 15.