Federal recovery center opens in Waterville to aid residents impacted by severe storms, flooding
WATERVILLE, Minn. — A disaster recovery center is now open in a southern Minnesota town that was one of the hardest hit communities by severe storms and flooding just over a month ago.
On Friday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency opened the center in Waterville at the City Hall.
During the afternoon, the federal agency took a tour of damaged areas. FEMA will have a team in the city through much of September and so far nearly $2 million in federal money has been given to flood survivors.
"I've never seen flooding this bad," said Deb Hogan of Waterville.
Hogan would know. She's lived in Waterville her entire life, but nothing compares to what she went through this summer.
"I had my whole basement destroyed. I lost all my appliances that were down there: furnace, water heater, washer, dryer," said Hogan.
Stories like Hogan's are why Waterville flood survivors will be visiting the City Hall over the next few weeks.
"Our teams are on the ground. We have nearly 250 folks here in Minnesota right now with more on the way," said Cassie Kohn, FEMA spokesperson.
Kohn said the goal is to give homeowners, business owners and renters a chance to talk with a FEMA representative to see what kind of federal assistance they can receive. State and local specialists are also on hand.
"What's most important here is that people read any correspondence they receive from FEMA. We send everyone a letter explaining to them what they may be eligible for or why they may not have initially received that assistance," said Kohn.
In some cases, impacted residents may be asked to submit additional information to move their claims forward. FEMA is also set up in 18 other Minnesota counties. In Waterville, Hogan didn't need an appointment to meet with a representative. She figures she has about $20,000 in lost appliances from the flood and any kind of help is welcome.
"If they even get enough to pay one item off, that would be great," said Hogan.
The center, located at 200 Third St. S., will be open Monday through Sunday, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Notably, the center will be closed on Tuesday for the Minnesota primary election, but will reopen the next day.
Survivors of disasters can also apply for FEMA assistance online or over the phone at 1-800-621-3362.
Waterville city officials say the flooding earlier this summer was the worst the town had ever seen, with parts of the city more than two feet underwater.
According to FEMA data, most homeowners in Waterville don't have federal flood insurance and there are just 33 active policies in town.