Coleman Pushes for FEMA Assistance for Cook County

Submitted by newsherald on Wed, 07/23/2008 - 2:27pm

Continuing the fight to help flood-stricken areas of Minnesota rebuild and recover, Senator Norm Coleman today sent a letter with Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative James Oberstar to President Bush in support of Governor Tim Pawlenty’s request to add Cook County to last month’s Presidential Disaster Declaration. The request seeks to allow Cook County to be eligible to receive help from FEMA’s Public Assistance program following the severe flash flooding that was caused by the same storm system that devastated southeastern Minnesota from June 7th though June 12th.  Currently, Fillmore, Freeborn, Mower, Houston and Nobles County are eligible to participate in FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

“The communities of Cook County rely heavily on tourism, and extreme weather like they experienced last month significantly impacts the financial stability of the region’s businesses and families,” said Coleman.  “The longer the region goes without federal disaster assistance, the more this revenue-generating industry will suffer.  After enduring hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage, a Presidential Disaster Declaration would allow Cook County to receive the needed support to rebuild and recover public infrastructure.  If the President’s prompt response to our previous request for southeastern Minnesota was any indication, I am hopeful he will swiftly deliver this much-needed assistance.”

The Preliminary Damage Assessment conducted by Cook County on July 15, 2008 determined an estimated $873,000 in damage had been incurred.  Given the County has only 5,168 residents and relies heavily on tourism to generate revenue, it is essential that public assistance be provided to avoid a negative effect on the County’s financial stability.  The Preliminary Damage Assessment also confirmed that road repairs will exceed the yearly maintenance budget for the entire county. 

FEMA Public Assistance is oriented to public entities and can fund the repair, restoration, reconstruction, or replace­ment of a public facility or infrastructure which is damaged or destroyed by a disaster.

Previously, Coleman, Klobuchar and Walz sent a letter to President Bush supporting the Governor’s original request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the four southern Minnesota counties.  The President promptly responded and declared a major disaster for the counties, which sustained an estimated $8.3 million in damage due to the flooding. This declaration made them eligible to receive aid through FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.