Zumbro Falls gets $1.4M for 2010 floods

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded $1.4 million to the city of Zumbro Falls for property damaged in the September 2010 floods.

The city will use the FEMA grant to buy 14 flood-prone homes and a commercial building that were substantially damaged in last year's flood.

This will allow the city to permanently remove the structures from the floodplain and reduce the financial impact of future flooding in the area, Zumbro Falls resident and former Mayor Al van de Walker said.

FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program will pay 75 percent of the $1,953,535 eligible project cost. The remainder will be provided by the city of Zumbro Falls and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Flood Damage Reduction Program.

"We've been on hold for almost a year and-a-half," van de Walker said. "Now we can finally get that part done and people moving forward and hopefully get some more places in and get the residents settled in for the winter."

Acquiring the property will let the city establish a permanent open space in the area closest to the Zumbro River, he said.