A $3 million disaster contingency fund will likely cover the state's share of nearly $41 million in summer storm damage until the Legislature reconvenes in January 2015, according to analysis by state officials.
The memo to Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders from Minnesota Management Commissioner Jim Schowalter and and Budget and Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Kris Eide outlines the plan to cover the $40.8 million in damages caused by severe storms and flooding following assessments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
According to FEMA, 37 Minnesota counties and three tribal governments qualify under the President's Disaster Declaration, meaning the federal government will cover 75 percent of the damage costs, leaving the state on the hook for $10.2 million. Between staggered withdrawals from the $3 million allocated by the Legislature, and advances from the Department of Revenue, there will likely be no need to call the Legislature to a special session to allocate more disaster money.
"We anticipate the existing appropriation will be sufficient to reimburse communities for the 25% non-federal share of the FEMA Public Assistance payments due between now and January 20145." The memo read, adding that priority will be given to areas that suffered more significant damages.
Read the entire memo here:
