WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and Congressman Rick Nolan announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has updated its major disaster declaration to include Kanabec County following this summer’s major flooding. The change comes after Klobuchar, Smith, and Nolan sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Administrator James Joseph last month urging him to reconsider the denial of FEMA disaster relief funding to Kanabec County and extend the relevant incident period to July 12, 2018, in the wake of flooding in the area.
“This disaster relief is greatly needed given the extent of damage throughout Kanabec County,” the members said. “This relief is going to help communities repair the damage to roads, bridges, and critical infrastructure as well as provide support to Minnesotans so they can fully recover from the disaster and move forward with their lives.”
On September 5, the President declared a major disaster as a result of the flooding that occurred across Minnesota between June 15 and July 11. The declaration authorized disaster relief for 27 counties and the Leech Lake, Red Lake, and White Earth tribal reservations. However, since the damage from the storms did not reach Kanabec County until the early morning of July 12, 2018, FEMA officials originally attributed the county’s damage to a “separate” weather event, effectively excluding the county from receiving assistance. The state of Minnesota appealed that decision.
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