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Klobuchar, Walz Say Emergency Declaration Will Bring Much-needed Aid for Southeastern Minnesota

August 24, 2007

(Washington, DC)- Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and Congressman Tim Walz today said that the president's declaration of six southeastern Minnesota counties as emergency disaster areas will bring much-needed federal aid to the flood-ravaged region.

The declaration means federal assistance will be available for affected families, businesses, farmers, and public infrastructure.  The assistance will take the form of grants up to a maximum of $28,200 and low-interest loans to help replace housing, personal property, business structures and inventory, and crops.

"I spoke with the president earlier this week and impressed on him the need for fast federal action to assist this entire flood-damaged area," said Klobuchar.  "This federal aid provides the foundation for the enormous task of rebuilding homes and businesses as well as roads and bridges.  And it's an opportunity to rebuild hope for these communities and their residents who've suffered so much but also demonstrated so much strength in these difficult days."

"Strong communities are a hallmark of southern Minnesota, but some disasters are too large for even the strongest community to withstand on its own.  There has already been an outpouring of private support from around the state and the nation, and I am glad that the federal government is ready to do its part to help the survivors pick up the pieces," Walz said.

Minnesota Families         

The emergency declaration today will qualify many Minnesota families affected by this disaster for a number of federal programs including:
•       Temporary Housing - homeowners and renters can receive funds to rent a different place to live or a temporary housing unit when rental properties are not available.
•       Repair - homeowners can receive grants to repair damage from the disaster that is not covered by insurance. The goal is to make the damaged home safe and sanitary.
•       Semi-Permanent or Permanent Housing Construction - homeowners and renters can receive direct assistance or a grant for the construction of a new home.  This type of assistance occurs only in very unusual situations, in locations specified by FEMA, where no other type of housing is possible
•       Home disaster loans to homeowners and renters to repair or replace disaster-related damages to home or personal property,
•       Business physical disaster loans to business owners to repair or replace disaster-damaged property, including inventory, and supplies; and
•       Economic injury disaster loans, which provide capital to small businesses and to small agricultural cooperatives to assist them through the disaster recovery period.

People wishing to apply for federal assistance should visit www. FEMA.gov or call the FEMA helpline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).  The application process should take 20-30 minutes, and they will need the following information to apply over the phone or online:
•       Social Security numbers for all members of the household
•       Current address where they can be reached and pre-disaster address
•       A phone number where they can be reached presently
•       Insurance informationTotal household income
•       A check, or bank routing and account number (this is only necessary if they want to have disaster assistance funds automatically deposited in a bank account)
•       A description of the losses caused by the disaster.
For immediate help, people can reach the following organizations:

*       Red Cross for Southeastern Minnesota: 507-287-2200
*       Minnesota Department of Health flood cleanup hot line: 1-800-657-3903.

Hours are 2 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday;

noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and

8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

*       Winona County: (507) 457-8858. Volunteers are encouraged to call (507) 457-8882.
*       Fillmore Country Flood Hotline:  507-765-2278

Also, the United Way is operating a volunteer match service.  Individuals wanting to volunteer and affected people needing help can both call 211 from land line telephones or (800) 362-8255 to reach the United Way and sign up.

Minnesota Farmers

With the emergency declaration, Minnesota's farmers in the declared counties will have the opportunity to apply for emergency USDA loans for production crop loss, as well as physical livestock and real estate loss, though farmers will still need to meet USDA's eligibility requirements (see links to USDA websites below for more information).

Senator Klobuchar and Congressman Walz encourage farmers to register their farm damages with their local FSA office and to contact their insurance provider as soon as possible. Additional information can be found at the following websites:

Emergency Farm Loans  http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=fmlp&topic=efl <http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=fmlp&topic=efl>

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