Klobuchar, Franken, Peterson Fight to Prevent Breckenridge Residents from Having to Purchase Unnecessary Flood Insurance

Press Release

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Al Franken (D-MN) along with Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN) are fighting to prevent Breckenridge families from having to purchase unnecessary flood insurance. In a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Minnesota lawmakers urged FEMA to delay moving forward with the final Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for Wilkin County until it incorporates the flood protection that is in place for Breckenridge. FEMA plans to release maps in May that show which areas in Wilkin County are at an increased risk of flooding and will be required to have flood insurance, but the maps currently do not take into account the flood protection project in Breckenridge, so residents already protected by the project would have to buy flood insurance they do not need.

"By failing to account for Breckenridge's flood protection project, FEMA will create an unnecessary burden for residents," Klobuchar said. "That is why I am urging FEMA to only move forward with flood maps that include the flood protections already in place, and I will continue pushing to ensure families in Breckenridge are not harmed by additional bureaucratic red tape."

"It just doesn't make any sense for FEMA to finish their flood maps for Breckenridge without taking into account the flood protection project that the Army Corps of Engineers has essentially finished," said Sen. Franken. "Residents of Breckenridge shouldn't have to pay for flood insurance that they don't need, just because of a lack of communication between two federal agencies. FEMA needs to do the right thing here and delay finalizing these maps until they're updated to reflect the reality in Breckenridge."

"The actual diversion channel was completed in 2005, is operational, and has prevented more than $130 million in damages in both Minnesota and North Dakota," Peterson said. "While there are minor damage repairs still taking place, we all know that this project does protect homeowners and there is no reason for FEMA to implement flood insurance premiums on homeowners who don't need it. We have repeatedly tried to reason with FEMA on this matter, but they can't seem to find enough common sense to figure this out."

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