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Flood relief money is still available, but you need to apply
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
“Contrary to what you’ve read in the regional daily papers, or heard on TV, the state and federal response time to provide disaster relief has been quite expeditious. Even if Houston and Fillmore counties would have had disaster mitigation plans in place, it still would have taken at least six months before anyone would have received federal Hazardous Mitigation Funds. This situation has gone much smoother than other recent disasters in the state. Both FEMA and SBA have been doing a good job.”
That’s the way former Houston County Commissioner Kevin Kelleher, who is now serving as a economic disaster relief specialist with the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), summed things up during the Jan. 8 county board meeting.
While addressing his former colleagues last week, Kelleher presented facts and figures to back up his statements. Using recovery response times from the 1997 Red River Valley floods, the 2002 floods that hit Roseau and the August 2007 floods of SE Minnesota, he provided the following figures:
•Special emergency state legislative session called:
Red River Valley- 19 weeks;
Roseau- 14 weeks;
SE Minnesota- 2.5 weeks.
•First aid applications submitted:
Red River Valley- six weeks;
Roseau- nine weeks;
SE Minnesota- four weeks.
•First funding commitments made:
Red River Valley- 10.5 weeks;
Roseau- 11 weeks;
SE Minnesota- five weeks.
•First funds awards:
Red River Valley- 17 weeks;
Roseau- 12.5 weeks;
SE Minnesota- six weeks.
“When you consider the two regional agencies, SEMCAC and Southeast Minnesota Development Corporation, were both drastically impacted by the floods, and were still able to provide the amount of help they did, that’s quite amazing,” Kelleher noted. “Nothing like this has ever happened to this degree in this region. The learning curve is quite steep. But yet, the response time has been so much quicker here than in past disasters. I think that really says something about the people we have working here.”
Kelleher stated that he has personally made contacts with some of the families who had been interviewed by the media about their problems of not receiving flood disaster help.
“There were two different families who had been complaining about not receiving help and were featured in one newspaper article. I contacted both families and found out they never even applied,” Kelleher said. “How can you expect to get any help if you don’t apply? I feel some of these articles painted the wrong picture of what was going on. Some of it was distorted.”
Kelleher wants to get the word out that just because a family or business is turned down for an SBA loan or grant, there are other alternatives. Over 600 persons who were denied SBA loans have applied for a Quick Start Loan program. To date, 236 have received over $4.3 million and another 130 applications for $2.5 million are currently being processed.
“The state appropriated over $150 million for flood relief. The money is out there. There’s a lot of work being done out there. People are there trying to help. They’re working their tails off. If people have questions, they need to get in touch with me,” Kelleher concluded.
Persons with questions are urged to contact Kelleher at: (507) 453-2926, or toll free at (888) 438-5627.
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