Senator Tina Smith, Governor Mark Dayton and Congressman Collin Peterson are in southwestern Minnesota today to assess the damage caused by rains and flooding this week. Smith says “you can see some farmhouses that are underwater, and some that are on a little bit of higher ground, you also really notice the county and township roads, the gravel roads that connect this part of the state and so many of them are under water and have sustained a lot of damage.” Smith says despite the extensive damage, “people help each other out when somebody needs a hand and I heard lots of stories about that today, too. Churches coming together and sandbagging and helping make sure that folks’ grandmothers and grandfathers have a safe place to be, so there’s a lot of people helping each other out.” On Thursday the governor declared a state of emergency that included 36 Minnesota counties plus the Red Lake Nation. Once officials get more information from affected counties they plan to ask the federal government for a disaster declaration. Here’s Senator Smith on what she’s seen so far…