~ Financial assistance, flood mitigation, housing help included in package ~

Governor Pawlenty today signed the Browns Valley Flood Relief bill to help the western Minnesota town recover from flooding that hit the community in March. The Governor had requested state aid because the damage did not meet the threshold for a presidential disaster declaration.

“Minnesotans stand together to support one another in times of disaster or tragedy,” Governor Pawlenty said. “When I visited Browns Valley, community leaders and residents asked for our help to rebuild and I’m pleased to sign this bill into law. These state funds will aid in their recovery, including efforts to prevent flooding in the future.”

The bill, H.F. 2433, provides $2 million to pay for flood related costs. The bill also amends current law to include Browns Valley in the list of communities eligible to receive Flood Hazard Mitigation grants from the state and authorizes the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency to use their disaster relief contingency fund for the rehabilitation or replacement of housing damaged by the flood.

In April, Governor Pawlenty announced that Browns Valley would receive a $264,000 state grant from state’s Small Cities Development Program (SCDP), which provides immediate assistance for repairing city streets, debris removal and repair of other damaged infrastructure. The SCDP is administered by the Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The Governor also requested and received a Small Business Administration Disaster Declaration to make federal emergency loans available to help businesses, homeowners and renters. In addition to the funding in the Browns Valley Flood Relief Bill, the omnibus E-12 Education bill contains a provision that will keep Browns Valley school funding at pre-flood levels for a period of two years. This will help the school district since some Browns Valley School students are now living outside the community and either attending other schools or requiring additional transportation.

Ice jams below bridges and other factors caused the the Little Minnesota River to overflow its banks on March 12. Browns Valley, a community of about 700 people along the South Dakota border, was inundated. More than 140 structures including homes, mobile homes and businesses have been affected by the flood waters.