Letter to the Hon. Barack Obama, President of the United States - Issue Federal Disaster Declaration for Minnesota Communities Impacted by Devastating Flooding

Letter

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to you in strong support of the request for a Major Disaster Declaration to assist communities in Minnesota that are working hard to recover from recent rain storms and flooding that have caused significant damage.

On September 21 and 22, 2016, torrential rains and flash flooding caused extensive damage to infrastructure and properties across central and southern Minnesota. Many of these areas received up to 10 inches of rain, the majority of which fell over the course of several hours.

The Governor of Minnesota has determined that the damage caused by these storms is beyond the capability of our state and local governments to address on their own, and as a result has requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance in Blue Earth, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Le Sueur, Rice, Steele, and Waseca counties in Minnesota. Additionally, the Governor has requested Individual Household Assistance (IHA) for Blue Earth, Waseca, Steele, and Freeborn Counties due to the loss of furnaces and water heaters in a significant number of homes.

Given the degree of damage, we strongly encourage you to issue a disaster declaration in a timely manner, which will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to begin to help impacted communities access federal assistance for debris removal and to repair critical infrastructure.

Minnesotans have displayed their resiliency in recovering from disasters in recent years including deadly tornadoes and widespread flooding. Many of these same counties saw significant flood damage in September 2010 and again in the summer of 2014. We are confident that the communities 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 working with you to assist the recovery efforts in Minnesota.