Letter to President Donald Trump - Issue Major Disaster Declaration for Minnesota Areas Impacted by Devastating Storms 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 storms and flooding that have caused significant damage.

Three separate storm systems between June 15, 2018 and July 12, 2018, produced torrential rains, high winds, tornados, and flash flooding across more than 29 counties and three tribal nations. In southern Minnesota along the Iowa border, many counties received between eight and ten inches of rain in a single day. As a result, rivers and lakes have overflowed, roads have been washed out, fields have been flooded, and homes have water damage.

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 has requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance.

Given that the degree of public damage exceeds the threshold of $7.7 million, 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 significant disasters in recent years. 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.

Sincerely,