Biden approves disaster declarations for northern Minnesota counties, tribal nations

DULUTH — Federal catastrophe reduction funding is headed to northern Minnesota after a number of months of flooding and extreme storms.

President Joe Biden accredited a serious catastrophe declaration for 15 Minnesota counties and 4 tribal nations, the Federal Emergency Administration Company stated in a information launch Thursday afternoon. The transfer permits the state, tribal nations, native governments and a few nonprofits to faucet into federal funds “on a cost-sharing foundation” for emergency work, the restore or substitute of broken amenities and hazard mitigation measures, FEMA stated.

FEMA and the Small Enterprise Affiliation shall be working with residents and companies to find out eligibility for help from FEMA or low-interest loans from SBA, in keeping with a Friday information launch from Gov. Tim Walz.

“I’m grateful to our federal companions for recognizing the hardship this spring’s climate has introduced so many Minnesotans,” Walz stated within the launch. “That is one step within the strategy of recovering from weeks of extreme climate and unprecedented flooding throughout northern Minnesota. The state will proceed to assist impacted residents and companies in each means we are able to in coordination with the federal authorities’s efforts.”

Walz wrote to Biden requesting the declaration on June 23, the discharge from the governor’s workplace stated.

Counties accredited for federal funds are Beltrami, Clearwater, Prepare dinner, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Pink Lake, Roseau and St. Louis counties.

The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Pink Lake Nation and White Earth Nation have been additionally accredited for federal funds.

The funding comes after file flooding alongside Wet and Kabetogama lakes in northern St. Louis and Kabetogama counties all through Could and June. Extreme storms and tornadoes additionally induced harm in a number of different northern Minnesota counties.

State Rep. Rob Ecklund, DFL-Worldwide Falls, praised Biden and Walz for securing the funding.

He stated Koochiching County spent $1.8 million on protecting measures within the first 28 days of emergency operations.

“The president’s catastrophe declaration is a crucial step in our restoration, and availability of federal sources will make a giant distinction in serving to people pull by,” Ecklund stated.