As others see it: Flooded areas need help quickly

The devastation from last week’s heavy rain and flooding to Duluth and other northern Minnesota communities have been met with calls for action and an outpouring of concern and donations.

… While it is too early to tell whether a special session of the Minnesota Legislature will be needed, all state lawmakers and officials should be on alert to move quickly to get aid to the flooded areas of northern Minnesota.

The tourism, taconite and papermaking industries in Duluth, the Iron Range and North Shore communities depend on the public infrastructure, including roads, railroad tracks and sewer/water lines. Those repairs need to be made quickly to avoid having the fragile economies in those areas suffer longer than they need to.

… Dayton said that when damage exceeds $8 million, as it surely will in this disaster, federal aid will pay for up to 75 percent of the cost of repairing uninsured infrastructure.

Whatever the damage toll reaches, action needs to be as fast as the rushing waters to get help to the communities, small businesses and citizens who need it.

Tags: opinion, flooding