President Declares a Major Disaster for Minnesota
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to Minnesota and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, flooding, and tornadoes during the period of July 1-11, 2011.
Federal funding is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, flooding, and tornadoes in the counties of Chisago, Isanti, Kandiyohi, Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Pine, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville, Stearns, and Yellow Medicine, and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all counties and tribes within the state.
Lawrence Sommers has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Sommers said that additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.