Following Senator Hauschild Request, FEMA Approves Individual Disaster Assistance for Flood Victims

Hauschild Sent Letter Requesting Assistance for Homeowners on July 15

[ST. PAUL, Minn.] – The Federal Emergency Manage­ment Agency announced ap­proval for individual disaster assistance for Minnesotans in 19 counties Monday, including Northlanders living in Cook, Itasca, Lake, and St. Louis counties.

Senator Grant Hauschild (DFL-Hermantown), who urged FEMA to swiftly ap­prove disaster claims for res­idents and communities in Northeastern Minnesota in a letter he sent the agency on July 15, applauded FEMA for moving quickly to approve this critical aid.

“This is great news for home­owners across the Northland who are trying to recover from this devastation,” said Sen. Hauschild. “We’ve been doing everything we can at the lo­cal and state level to help get these folks back on their feet, but this federal assistance is a gamechanger for the folks of Northeastern Minnesota.”

June storms brought heavy rain and wind damage across wide swathes of Northeastern Minnesota, only to be followed by record-setting flooding that quickly impacted the region. While assessments of the dam­age are still ongoing, it is esti­mated that the final total will approach tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars.

Tuesday’s announcement fol­lows an IRRRB meeting Mon­day that appropriated up to $2.5 million in grants and loans that are now available to residents in the hard-hit community of Cook. During Monday’s meet­ing, Senator Hauschild brought forth a motion that was unan­imously approved to increase the size of economic recovery grants to $25,000.

“There is a long recovery ahead of us, but the Northland is resilient. I will continue to fight for the assistance our area needs to make sure we emerge stronger than ever from this disaster. Together, we can re­build the Northland,” said Sen. Hauschild.

The following counties are currently part of the declara­tion: Blue Earth, Cook, Cot­tonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue, Itasca, Jackson, Lake, Le Sueur, Mower, Nicol­let, Nobles, Rice, Rock, St. Louis, Steele, Waseca, and Watonwan. Additional coun­ty designations may be added to the declaration if requested and warranted by the results of damage assessments.

To apply for assistance, people can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov or call 800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462- 7585).