~ Governor sets Special Session for Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. ~

Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty announced this afternoon that he is convening a Special Session of the legislature tomorrow to pass additional flood relief assistance for southeastern Minnesota.

The Governor’s proclamation sets the opening of the Special Session for 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 11. He said he expects that legislators will be able to complete their work in one day.

“The recovery and rebuilding effort in southeastern Minnesota requires us to come together as a state to help our neighbors,” Governor Pawlenty said. “We’ve gotten a head start by advancing LGA funding and redirecting existing resources, but we need a strong flood relief package from the legislature to complete the important job before us.”

Special Sessions to deal with similar disasters in 1997 and 2002 took place three or four months after the flooding. This Special Session will be held more quickly. In April-May 1997, the Red River of the North flooded, causing major damage in Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba. A one-day special session was held on August 19, 1997. From June 9-11, 2002, heavy rains caused flooding in Roseau and the northwestern part of the state. A one-day special session was held on September 19, 2002.

Since the August 18-19 flooding in the region, a little more than three weeks ago, Governor Pawlenty has directed state assistance to help those impacted by the flood:

• On Friday, Governor Pawlenty directed state agencies to provide $31.8 million of state aid for the rebuilding effort. The money includes assistance for homeowners, businesses, and additional help for local governments to repair their infrastructure. The largest portion of the funds is $16 million from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency to be used for loans to rehabilitate damaged homes and apartments, new construction, and for mortgage down payment assistance.
• Government aid payments to cities and counties in southeastern Minnesota have been accelerated to help communities address the costs associated with rescue, recovery and rebuilding. Local government aid payments are regularly sent to cities and counties twice a year, on July 20 and December 26. Under the Governor’s order, December payments for cities and counties in the presidentially declared disaster area have been expedited. The payments total $25.1 million – $18.2 million to 58 cities and $6.9 million to seven counties.
• Southeastern Minnesota flood victims will receive Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) from the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development. The DUA program provides temporary income assistance to workers and self-employed individuals whose work has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of recent flooding.
• Governor Pawlenty also ordered the state to waive electrical inspection permit fees for residents of southeast Minnesota who are rebuilding their homes following the devastating flash floods earlier this month. Homeowners will not have to pay the $35 to $135 state fees if they are eligible for repairs or reconstruction of their homes under the current FEMA Individual and Household grant program. The fees will be waived for permit applications received by the Department of Labor and Industry within one year of the date of the presidential disaster declaration.
• A new “Minnesota Recovers” Web site is operational and features information for individuals, businesses and others affected by flooding in southeastern Minnesota at www.minnesotarecovers.org
• Governor Pawlenty directed the Department of Revenue to temporarily waive the tax paid for hauling construction debris generated in the presidentially declared disaster area (Minnesota Statute 297H.06; subd. 3). The tax is paid by waste haulers and passed along to residential and business customers. To qualify, debris must have resulted from flood-caused demolition and repair and be hauled to a facility designated by the Pollution Control Agency.

According to estimates by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, severe flooding on August 18-19 resulted in approximately $67 million in damage to private property and public infrastructure in southeastern Minnesota. About 1,500 homes in the area sustained some damage and approximately 300 were destroyed.

Following an expedited request by Governor Pawlenty, the presidential disaster declaration made funds available from a number of federal programs in seven counties – Fillmore, Winona, Houston, Steele, Olmstead, Dodge and Wabasha. FEMA disaster assistance includes aid to individuals and households, aid to public and certain private non-profit entities for emergency services and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged public facilities, and funding for measures designed to reduce future losses to public and private property.

Per federal policy, FEMA reimburses 75 percent of eligible costs associated with public infrastructure damage caused by the disaster. The state and local communities are responsible for the remaining 25 percent. Individual assistance from FEMA is capped at $28,200, though other loans and grants may be available from the Small Business Administration and the State of Minnesota.