Contact: Celi Haga
651-315-5082 (cell)
St. Paul, Minn. - The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) today announced $2.2 million in disaster relief funding grants to help counties continue their flood recovery efforts.
June 2014 was a record-setting month for rainfall in Minnesota. For the second time in three years, the state experienced historic summer flooding. What made this heavy rainfall event much more impactful was how widespread the effects were. Fifty-five of Minnesota’s 87 counties reported damages and impacts from high rains and resulting flooding. Thirty-seven counties would eventually be included in the presidential disaster declaration.
“We’ve received damage reports from around the state,” explained John Jaschke, BWSR Executive Director. “Soil and water conservation districts are ready to get out and repair the damage done to the local conservation practices to protect the land and the water. This funding helps make that possible.”
On January 27, 2015, Governor Dayton signed legislation that allocated funding to BWSR to assist local governments in repairing conservation practices damaged during the flooding. BWSR activated its Disaster Recovery Assistance Program (DRAP) and began immediately working with local governments to determine need and start the allocation process. Seventeen counties were awarded disaster relief funds.
For more information on BWSR’s DRAP and a list of the counties that received BWSR flood recovery grants, please visit: www.bwsr.state.mn.us.