In a letter to FEMA Administrator Fugate earlier this month, the federal lawmakers urged strong support for Governor Dayton’s recent appeal to reverse the decision to deny much-needed Individual Household Assistance to an additional seven counties in Minnesota

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following an effort from U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, and Representatives Tim Walz and Keith Ellison, today the Administration announced it will issue Individual Disaster Assistance for Minnesota communities impacted by devastating flooding in September. In a letter to FEMA Administrator Fugate earlier this month, the federal lawmakers urged strong support for Governor Dayton’s recent appeal to reverse the decision to deny much-needed Individual Household Assistance to an additional seven counties in Minnesota.

“I saw the devastation firsthand, and I know this federal individual disaster relief assistance is vital for the Minnesotans impacted by the recent storms and flooding,” said Klobuchar.

“This is important news for Minnesotans who were devastated by floods in September,” said Franken. “I’m glad that FEMA heeded our call and will provide essential assistance to help these Minnesota communities recover and rebuild."

“FEMA’s announcement is welcome relief to southern Minnesotans impacted by devastating flooding this years,” said Walz. “I appreciate their willingness to revisit their decision and reverse course to ensure folks get the assistance they need.”

"I applaud FEMA for responding to our calls by reversing their previous decision, and approving this vital funding,” said Ellison. “Many Minnesotans have been in desperate need of this assistance - I'm glad they're going to get it."

The full text of the letter from earlier this month is below:

Dear Administrator Fugate:

Thank you for your support and approval of Governor Dayton’s request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance in nine counties in central and southern Minnesota as a result of torrential rains and flash flooding on September 21 and 22, 2016. Beyond the damage to public infrastructure, a significant number of individuals and households were also severely impacted. That’s why we write to strongly support Governor Dayton’s recent appeal to reverse the decision to deny much-needed Individual Household Assistance to an additional seven counties in the region.

Given the overwhelming loss of furnaces and water heaters combined with the inadequacy of the initial damage assessment, we are deeply concerned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determined that the severity of damage sustained was not significant enough to warrant Individual Household Assistance for Blue Earth, Freeborn, Hennepin, Le Sueur, Rice, Steele, and Waseca counties. We encourage you to reconsider this denial and issue Individual Household Assistance in a timely manner so that the nearly 1,501 households can begin to access federal assistance to replace critical mechanical systems before the winter season begins.

After disaster strikes Minnesota, we hit the ground running and do not stop until we have the resources in place to ensure that communities can recover. We are confident that the communities and households impacted by these storms will also recover and rebuild, but we urge you to make the federal government a full partner in that effort.

Thank you for your attention to this request, and we look forward to continuing to work with you to assist the recovery efforts in Minnesota.

Sincerely,

###