Minnesotans in 19 counties working to recover from this year’s flooding can now request individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help recover from losses they suffered. The declaration will provide resources to reimburse individuals and communities for debris removal, emergency protective measures and repair and replacement of damaged infrastructure.
The following counties are currently part of the declaration: Faribault, Blue Earth, Freeborn, Watonwan, Jackson, Cook, Cottonwood, Goodhue, Itasca, Lake, LeSueur, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, Rice, Rock, St. Louis, Steele and Waseca. Additional county designations may be added to the declaration if requested and warranted by the results of damage assessments.
Governor Tim Walz requested the amendment to the original June 28th declaration after damage assessments documented significant destruction to homes and businesses across the state.
While individual assistance is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate for all losses caused by a disaster, it is a significant step in helping people meet their basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts.
In the coming days, FEMA, in partnership with Homeland Security and Emergency Management, will establish disaster recovery centers to assist people in navigating the process and house state agency representatives to ensure individuals and businesses understand all the programs that are available. More information on how to access these centers will be forthcoming from FEMA.
In the meantime, individuals in the declared counties are encouraged to create an application online by visiting disasterassistance.gov. You can also call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362. Specialists are available seven days a week from 8am to 10pm.