DULUTH, Minn. - Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are in Duluth with state emergency personnel to put a dollar figure on damage from last week's historic floods and see if Minnesota is eligible for federal disaster funds.
Federal and state officials began meeting with leaders from the city of Duluth and St. Louis County, documenting whether the community meets the threshold of $7.1 million in damage to public infastructure. Bill Hirti from the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management tells KARE 11's Scott Seroka that it should not be a problem.
After meeting all morning and early afternoon it is expected that FEMA officials will tour flood damaged areas of Duluth and St. Louis County. They will assess the final four of thirteen counties in Minnesota that are seeking federal funds to recover from storms on Thursday.
Governor Mark Dayton is waiting for the final tally before deciding if he will call a special session to deal with providing state funds to those same communities.
In Duluth the financial impact goes beyond the flood damage itself. Tourism officials say reservations to the port city are down nearly 50 percent from where they would normally be now. Summer marks the height of Duluth's tourism season and it appears some people are staying away.
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