About 40 of Minnesota’s 87 counties have sustained flood damage caused by torrential rains in June, and the first five counties to assess the destruction reported $32 million in losses so far to roads, bridges and other public facilities, state officials said Tuesday.
“That makes it almost certain that we’ll qualify” for federal emergency disaster funds, Gov. Mark Dayton said at a news conference in St. Paul. The state must document at least $7.3 million in damage to public infrastructure to be eligible for federal aid.
With roads and parks still flooded in the large metro-area counties that sustained the most damage, local officials are still compiling data, said state Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Kris Eide. “But the initial impacts they have given to us have far exceeded our $7.3 million threshold. …
“We’re a pretty doggone flood-prone state,” Eide said.
Carver County in the southwest metro reported the worst wreckage, with an early estimate of $9.2 million to repair a wastewater treatment plant and roads near the Minnesota River and its tributaries, Dayton said.
Hennepin County sustained an estimated $7.3 million in flood damage, he said.
Ramsey County, which would have to document $1.7 million in damage to quality for federal reimbursement, already has tabulated $1.9 million in losses, Eide said.
Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel and state evaluators surveyed flood damage in Nobles, Jackson and parts of Rock counties in southwestern Minnesota on Tuesday and will continue assessing the remainder of Rock and Renville counties on Wednesday, she said. They hope to start gauging damage in the metro area next week.
Dayton said he hopes to apply for federal funds by the end of next week. During a visit to the Twin Cities last week, President Barack Obama pledged the federal government would help with recovery efforts.
The governor said it’s too early to decide whether to call a special session of the Legislature to provide state funding for disaster relief. The federal government generally provides 75 percent and the state 25 percent of the cost to repair or replace state and local government infrastructure.
Eide urged citizens to report flood damage to their local county emergency management offices, which make the initial cost estimates.
Homeowners and small business owners whose properties were flooded may be eligible for federal Small Business Administration assistance, said Minnesota Housing Finance Commissioner Mary Tingerthall. Those property owners should check to see whether their insurance covers their losses before applying for SBA funding. If they are turned down or have excessive losses, they may qualify for state Housing Finance Agency assistance.
State emergency management personnel and housing finance staff will open disaster assistance centers in flood-damaged areas, Tingerthall said.
State Agriculture Commissioner David Frederickson estimated that 80 percent to 90 percent of the farmers whose crops were destroyed or severely damaged by flooding have federal crop insurance. The dollar amount of their losses won’t be known until the crops are harvested in the fall, he said.
Most state highways that were closed by flooding will reopen by the July 4 weekend, but several roads will remain closed, said state Transportation Commissioner Charles Zelle. The highways into the Minnesota River valley community of Henderson sustained the worst damage and could remain closed through Labor Day.