Gov. Walz secures Major Disaster Declaration; 51 Minnesota counties and 4 tribal governments affected

Published 8:44 am Friday, June 14, 2019

Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday that he has secured a Major Disaster Declaration that will provide federal funds to aid in emergency relief for 51 counties and four tribal governments in Minnesota.

Gov. Tim Walz

Walz sent a letter to President Donald Trump on May 28 requesting the declaration after major flooding, blizzard conditions and gale-force winds combined to cause nearly $40 million dollars in infrastructure damage across the state.

He also spoke to the President personally about the request when the President visited Minnesota this spring.

Email newsletter signup

“The news of incoming federal disaster relief is welcome after an exceptionally difficult transition from winter to spring this past year,” Walz said. “Minnesota is on the road to recovery, and the assistance granted by this declaration will expedite that process enormously.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal public assistance funds to reimburse affected communities for response and recovery costs. FEMA will pay 75 percent of eligible expenses and the state will cover the 25 percent non-federal share from the Disaster Assistance Contingency Account.

Minnesota counties and Tribal Nations covered under the Major Disaster Declaration include: Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Chippewa, Clay, Cottonwood, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Grant, Houston, Jackson, Kittson, Lac Qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, Martin, McLeod, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Norman, Olmsted, Pennington, Pipestone, Polk, Ramsey, Red Lake, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Roseau, Scott, Sibley, Steele, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wabasha, Waseca, Washington, Watonwan, Wilkin, Winona, and Yellow Medicine Counties and the Prairie Island Indian Community, Red Lake Band of Chippewa, Upper Sioux Community, and the White Earth Nation.

The Major Disaster Declaration makes several types of federal aid available to Minnesota communities for flood and storm damage recovery.