HUGO, MN -- Governor Pawlenty says investigators are working to determine if the storm damage in Hugo will meet the thresholds set by FEMA for disaster relief.
Pawlenty and other elected officials toured the St. Paul suburb this afternoon. The Sunday night storm flattened 27 homes and damaged 91 others. Some 400 other homes were affected by the storm in some fashion.
Pawlenty says each pile of rubble "represents somebody's life that has been destroyed or upended in a horrific way."
However, Pawlenty noted it appears nearly all of the private property damaged by the storm was insured.
A 2-year-old boy died in the storm and 17 other people sought medical attention. A child and three adults remain hospitalized.
Residents are getting a chance to retrieve personal items from the hardest hit area until 6 p.m., when police will again shut down that part of town for security reasons.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
