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Bush, in Minnesota for a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, said “a flood of help” will be coming to southeastern Minnesota. According to the Star Tribune, Bush said help could include small business aid and housing assistance. He also expressed sympathy and admiration for flood victims who “woke up and found their lives turned upside down. You can wreck the infrastructure, but you can’t wreck the spirit.”
Back in southeastern Minnesota, Gov. Tim Pawlenty urged patience during a sometimes contentious meeting Monday with about a hundred flood victims, many of whom showed up acting on bad information that a FEMA representative was going to be there.
But he also cautioned against expecting miracles, especially given that many flood victims don’t have insurance.
“Being able to get flood insurance is very difficult, and it shouldn’t be,” Pawlenty said. “Insurance is going to be a huge issue.”
Pawlenty and state lawmakers will meet today in St. Paul to discuss a special legislative session to fund recovery efforts.
House Speaker Margaret Kelliher told Winona County officials Tuesday that a special session may be the only way for the state to fund recovery efforts from flooding in southeast
Minnesota and the I-35W bridge collapse.
“The magnitude of what’s happened in the month of August alone, I think necessitates a special session,” said Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis.
As they calculated the cost of
emergency response, cleanup and rebuilding after the weekend floods, state and local officials amplified their calls for the state and federal government to help out.
Repairs to county roads alone will cost at least $3 million, and likely much more, county officials said. That’s not counting costs incurred by emergency crews, service providers and even supplies for victims. For example, law enforcement was scrambling Tuesday afternoon to find boots for people attempting to clean mud and debris from their property.
“This really could break the budgets of the counties and towns affected,” Kelliher said.
Kelliher said lawmakers are crafting an omnibus bill that would fund repairs to roads and other infrastructure and reimburse local government and emergency responders. But lawmakers can’t act until the governor calls a special session, which would likely take place after Labor Day.
Kelliher said state reserves won’t be enough to cover the cost of the floods and the I-35W collapse.
Alex Carey, a Pawlenty spokesperson, said the governor will present his approach for funding the recovery today after spending Monday and Tuesday touring southeast Minnesota.
“He’s going to lay out what he saw,” Carey said. “Nothing’s ruled out.”
Officials also expressed concern for homeowners, many of whom are expected to receive little or no insurance reimbursement for flood damage.
Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, said the state has little precedent for providing direct funding to homeowners, aside from matching funds granted from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. However, Pelowski said legislators and the State Attorney General might pressure private insurers to at least partially reimburse homeowners.
Winona County Commissioner Dwayne Voegeli — whose home suffered minor damage in the flooding — echoed the concerns of homeowners who’ve been left homeless by the disaster.
“There’s a huge, gaping hole for government to fill,” Voegeli said. “It’s absolutely crazy to ask people to rebuild these homes on their own.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
