WASHINGTON – As state officials celebrated a bipartisan bill providing relief to Minnesotas agriculture economy Thursday, the

Minnesota Congressional delegation urged the Biden administration for a disaster declaration to assist communities recovering from extreme weather causing historic storms and flooding.

“We write to you in strong support of the state of Minnesota’s requests for Major Disaster Declarations under the Stafford Act to assist communities that are working to recover from severe weather this spring, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, high winds, and flooding. These natural disaster events have caused significant damage in our state, and we ask that you quickly grant approval for federal government disaster assistance,” the lawmakers wrote to President Biden.

“The weather this spring was colder than average, and late snowstorms have combined with above-normal precipitation to cause high water and flooding throughout central, western, and northern Minnesota,” the lawmakers continued. “The resiliency of Minnesotans during times of natural disaster has been shown time and time again. When flood waters rise and homes are damaged, volunteers and neighbors are quick to fill sandbags, clean up debris, and lend a hand to those in need. Impacted communities will repair the damage and rebuild following these disasters, but timely federal assistance will speed up the recovery effort.”

U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith have been working to secure resources for communities throughout the state impacted by the recent flooding damage and the cold, wet spring weather.

Earlier this month, they surveyed flooding and storm damage in International Falls with Gov. Tim Walz and representatives from the Minnesota National Guard and Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

At a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing last month, Klobuchar secured Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s commitment to provide disaster assistance for farmers affected by adverse weather. Earlier in May, the entire Minnesota Congressional delegation in urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide federal assistance for impacted Minnesota farmers.