Governor Tim Walz says the White House has approved a major disaster declaration that will make federal funds available to 51 Minnesota counties and four tribal governments. It’s in response to widespread major flooding, blizzards and gale-force winds earlier this year that are estimated to have caused 40 million dollars in damage to infrastructure. The governor says the disaster aid is welcome “after an exceptionally difficult transition from winter to spring.” The federal government will pay 75 percent of the cost to repair public infrastructure and the state will cover the remaining 25 percent, using money from a special contingency fund.
Counties and tribal nations included:
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.