Presidential Disaster Declaration Granted for Lake Superior Gale Force Winds

​Communities along Lake Superior will be getting some much needed help to recover from devastating gale force winds that damaged major tourist towns last fall. The Presidential Disaster Declaration means the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reimburse St. Louis County communities for repairs to public property infrastructure.

Some of those damages include: flooding to public property, a battered lakeside boardwalk and overwhelmed water/sewer systems. A state-local joint preliminary damage assessment determined Saint Louis County sustained more than $11.5 million dollars in damages during the historic storm.

HSEM will now work with FEMA to fund 75 percent of approved costs. Under state law, Minnesota will pay the 25 percent non-federal share out of the State Disaster Contingency Account.

Review the Disaster Declaration Process.