Minnesota House OKs $21 million in flood relief
By John Sundvor
The Forum
ST. PAUL—A $21 million package of emergency flood relief was approved without opposition in the Minnesota House Wednesday, at the urging of flood-belt legislators.

"They say that a picture is worth a 1,000 words," Rep. Bob Westfall, R-Rothsay, said as he described to a hushed chamber the devastation he had witnessed in Breckenridge.

He described a seed plant that had lost its inventory, a fertilizer plant whose future was put in jeopardy, and families without homes.

Westfall said the dealership where he buys his cars has already moved to Wahpeton, N.D.

"I call it the death of a city," he said. "I ask you to support this because we really are dealing with the death of a city."

Rep. Kevin Goodno, R-Moorhead, said victims along the Minnesota and Red River will be dealing with the damage brought by record spring floods for years.

"This is a first step towards making those people whole again," Goodno said. "This is a first step in a long process. This was a major disaster I hope I never see again."

The bill:

• Takes $21 million from the state $522 million budget reserve and earmarks it for flood relief. The $21 million plus $3 million left from a winter blizzard disaster relief bill will be used as matching funds for federal disaster aid grants.

• Allows state agencies to waive rules and fees for flood relief efforts and to apply for federal relief.

• Adjusts the school aid formula to help schools closed by floods and schools that have taken in students from flooded school districts.

• Allows nursing homes in Norman, Polk and several other counties to replace bed space destroyed by the floods.

While some maintained that the legislation should go farther, no one objected to the aid package.

"I think we’ve got address the needs of the people of that area," said Rep. Irv Anderson, DFL-International Falls. "There is great concern and great loss, and we ought to provide within this bill some means by which they can make application for funds."

But Rep. Tim Finseth, R-Thief River Falls, said $21 million will not be the only aid the Legislature considers for the flooded areas this year.

"I hope that we have to come back and do more, because we have to do more," he said.

House Majority Leader Ted Winter, DFL-Fulda, said the Legislature may well take $100 million from the state’s budget reserve to meet the state’s flood needs.

"Now’s the time to use the reserve," he said. "I think people support that."

While the aid is significant, Rep. Doug Peterson, DFL-Madison, said it is probably not enough. It is a good start, he said.

"The rapid and unanimous passage of this bill is a salute to the dedication of people in Ortonville, Montevideo, East Grand Forks and other cities that have borne the hardships of this disaster," he said. "We want those families to know they are not going through this alone."

A similar bill was passed by the Senate earlier this month.

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