Walz authorizes state disaster aid for 9 counties hit by mid-July storms

Governor Tim Walz has authorized use of funds from the state’s contingency fund to help southern Minnesota counties recover from storm damage in mid-July. Eligible counties are Blue Earth, Cottonwood, Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Le Sueur, Wabasha and Winona. Walz says that section of Minnesota was “hit particularly hard by a series of severe storms that crushed public infrastructure and slowed local economies.” The state will pick up 75 percent of eligible costs and local governments must cover the remaining 25 percent.