State and Federal Damage Assessments to be Conducted Throughout Lakes Area from Severe Weather this Spring

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – State and Federal preliminary damage assessments will be conducted throughout the Lakes Area this week.

Teams from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Homeland Security and Emergency Management division (DPS-HSEM) as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will verify eligible costs for damage to public infrastructure and public response costs to determine if five tribal nations and 48 counties qualify for state and federal aid.

Based on local initial damage assessments, HSEM projects the eligible damage expense will exceed $27 million which is nearly three times more than Minnesota’s statewide indicator for public assistance of $9.3 million.

Teams will be in Becker County and White Earth Nation on Thursday, May 26 and in Douglas, Todd and Wadena counties on Friday, May 27.

This Spring, the state has been impacted by ongoing severe weather including snowmelt flooding, rain-induced flooding, and near continuous series of severe thunderstorms with heavy rains, flash flooding, damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes.

The preliminary damage assessment is the first step in determining if Governor Tim Walz will be able to make a request for a presidential declaration of disaster.