~ Officials from several state agencies to meet, coordinate long-term response and aid ~

Saint Paul – Governor Pawlenty today announced that the Minnesota Recovers Task Force will convene to coordinate state, local and federal disaster recovery efforts related to flooding in southeastern Minnesota. The task force will hold its first meeting on Monday, August 27.

“Our recovery and rebuilding effort is going to be as aggressive as possible, it's going to be as sustained as it needs to be to make sure these communities are rebuilt and our fellow Minnesotans are helped as promptly and robustly as possible,” Governor Pawlenty said. “The Minnesota Recovers Task Force brings together state and federal agencies to work with local governments to ensure a coordinated response.”

The Minnesota Recovers Task Force was formed in response to the Great Flood of 1993, when the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and their tributaries overflowed, causing one of the most costly and devastating floods in the history of the United States. The task force’s purpose is to combine government resources toward long-term recovery efforts and hazard mitigation activities.

At the meeting on Monday, the task force will review current recovery efforts in southeastern Minnesota, identify resource needs in each community, and determine programs or resources to meet those needs.

The task force is led by representatives of the Minnesota Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and also includes the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Employment and Economic Development, Pollution Control Agency, Board of Water and Soil Resources, Department of Agriculture, Housing Finance Agency, Department of Health, and Department of Human Services. Federal agencies include FEMA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Housing and Urban Development.

On Thursday, Governor Pawlenty announced that President Bush declared a major disaster in Winona, Fillmore and Houston counties in southeastern Minnesota. The president ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe flash floods on Sunday, August 19. Governor Pawlenty sent a letter to President Bush Wednesday requesting an expedited emergency disaster declaration for six Minnesota counties impacted by flooding.

Ordinarily, preliminary damage assessments are completed before the emergency disaster declaration is requested. However, Governor Pawlenty said in his letter that he can attest from two days of visiting many of the hardest hit areas that the magnitude of this natural disaster will exceed the thresholds needed to qualify for federal relief.

Federal assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding also is available to state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance. --30--