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Kia Farhang

Minneapolis to withdraw federal aid request for summer storms

High water along Minnehaha Parkway.
High water along Minnehaha Parkway in Minneapolis brought out the curious, armed with cameras, in the middle of June. The flooding submerged parts of the walking and biking trails along the creek.
Laura Yuen/MPR News

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Minneapolis officials have decided to withdraw a claim for federal disaster aid related to severe storms, mudslides and flooding this summer.

The storms, which state emergency managers said caused $32 million in damage to public roads, bridges and other structures statewide, led the Federal Emergency Management Agency to declare more than 35 Minnesota counties eligible for federal dollars to make repairs.

• Related: Hennepin, Ramsey counties eligible for flood aid

But the weather that felled trees and flooded streets only did about $6,500 worth of damage to city property, Minneapolis Emergency Management Director Barret Lane told the city's public safety committee Wednesday.

"The cost of staff time simply pursuing a claim of that size is going to very quickly erode whatever recovery we're able to achieve out of it," Lane said.

Minneapolis applied for federal help before calculating the total damage so it wouldn't miss the application window, according to a report to the committee. Public Works employees later found no significant damage to any flooded city bridges or tunnels. Most of the $6,500 in damage came from sidewalks crushed by falling trees, the report said.

Minneapolis' decision to pull its application doesn't affect the city Park and Recreation Board's multi-million dollar claim for federal aid, part of which stems from a June mudslide at the University of Minnesota's Fairview Hospital.