Sen. Amy Klobuchar Visits Bemidji to Assess June 21 Storm Damage

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota paid a visit to Bemidji on Friday, where she met with local leaders and officials to get an assessment of the damage received from the June 21st derecho and see what can be done by federal officials to help with recovery efforts.

After a brief meeting with officials who led cleanup and recovery efforts, Klobuchar took a tour of the city and stopped at places that suffered significant damage from the storm, like Diamond Point Park and the Sanford Center. Klobuchar said that she was astounded by how much damage there was, but was delighted to see the recovery efforts made so far.

“To think that nine million trees have been lost, so many homes damaged, nearly every home suffering some damage,” she said. “One of my most amazing moments was to look at these yards where people had trees just cut down, stumps in the yard, all ready to be taken away, but they were still mowing their lawn, they were still taking care of their house, they still had their kids bike out there now. And it just makes you see this kind of pride in ‘Bemidji Strong.'”

Klobuchar says she, along with Sen. Tina Smith and Rep. Pete Stauber, are working diligently to secure FEMA funding for the area. Right now, 75% of infrastructure damage would be reimbursed, but FEMA funds would help cover the other 25%. If the area doesn’t qualify, Klobuchar is confident the state can help cover the costs.

“One of the things about Minnesota, through many, many governors, we have set up this fund that’s a backup, and basically, if someone doesn’t qualify, we have a way to help out with public infrastructure,” said Klobuchar. “All that being said, there’s still a tremendous amount of damage to people’s homes, and just to hear all of the funds that have been set up and how the community is pitching in. I just want to make sure Bemidji is every bit as strong as it was before, and even stronger. So, if people can stick with it and stay here and get us through this time, we’re going to emerge really strong at the other end.”

Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince says although the exact amount is still unknown, the storm caused potentially over a million dollars in damages. Even though the city and county are getting reimbursed for 75% of those costs, Prince added that the 25% that is still remaining will still be a significant cost for the city.