Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar met with local leaders today in Bemidji to view damage from a devastating storm that hit the area late last month and to get an update on relief efforts.
A Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management preliminary damage assessment determined Beltrami County sustained about $8 million for non-insured public infrastructure due to the storm — short of the $10.7 million threshold to receive federal aid.
But that could all change in the coming weeks if the state as a whole can meet the single disaster requirement which would make the funds attainable. For that to happen Beltrami County plans to combine with six other counties that also went through a PDA.
Klobuchar said if that happens, she will advocate for the relief funds.
“We’re eagerly waiting to push for that, along with Senator Smith and Representative Stauber,” she said. “And if we can, that will be really helpful, because it’s 75 percent of public infrastructure."
Klobuchar said natural disasters like the one Bemidji experienced are why the Federal Emergency Management Agency should not be cut as the current administration has proposed.
“FEMA is not a bad four-letter word. It’s a good one, and they are there on the ground, and I believe in fully funding FEMA,” she said. “I think you see after the tragedy in Texas, there’s some backing off of some of that discussion.”
Klobuchar said she also made a stop in the city to tell all Minnesotans that contrary to any perceptions people might have in the wake of June’s storms, Bemidji is ”open for business.”
Mayor Jorge Prince was also on hand for Klobuchar’s visit and expressed gratitude for the lawmaker’s visit.
“I’m very appreciative of Senator Klobuchar joining us today. We’ve had many conversations throughout this disaster, and she’s always been incredibly helpful to us,” Prince said. “I think as we move forward to see whether we qualify for FEMA funding or not, we’ll continue to have those conversations.”
