May 26, 2008 8:13 pm US/Central
Pawlenty: Hugo Unlikely To Receive Federal Aid
HUGO, Minn. (WCCO) ―
-
-
Gov. Tim Pawlenty toured Hugo, Minn. to survey the damage.
CBS
As is customary with storms like those that slammed into Hugo, Minn. Sunday, lawmakers gathered there to assess the damage and see what they could do to offer help for people.
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty made the visit and explained why he believes the people of Hugo are unlikely to receive federal help.
The drive into town revealed house after house, disaster after disaster. Families' lives and histories reduced to rubble.
"The damage here is as massive as we've seen in terms of individual structures being just completely flattened in tornadoes or other natural disasters," said Pawlenty. "You hear the counts about the number of homes damaged or leveled, but each one of those is a story of a family who's been devastated."
Every yard told a story of destruction. Yet the down itself may not be declared a disaster area.
"There's a variety of disaster programs, but the main one is through FEMA, and they have thresholds about what level of damage and type of damage has to be demonstrated before the eligibility for their programs kick in. A lot of that has to do with damage to public infrastructure," explained Pawlenty.
Because most of the damage destroyed private homes on private property, it's not likely to meet that criteria. Instead, private insurance will pay to clean up and rebuild most of Hugo.
The state is also prepared to help.
"The state has helped in the past when we've had tornadoes don't FEMA-qualify, like Rogers a couple of years ago," said Pawlenty. "We've stepped in and provided reimbursement for certain things for the city and for others as well."
FEMA will assess the damage and investigators will determine whether Hugo will indeed get any federal help.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
