The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has begun Preliminary Damage Assessment site visits in Cottonwood County and after a first visit Wednesday will return tomorrow for further damage inspections. These site visits are specifically in areas with a high volume of damage reported to the City of Windom.
The preliminary assessment will assist in determining potential eligibility of Individual Assistance (IA) for the residents of Cottonwood County, according to EDA Director Tiffany Lamb.
On Wednesday, FEMA did visit several homes along Quevli Avenue, Cottonwood Lake Drive, and near Perkins Creek.
Lamb noted that FEMA staff will not assess every area due to time constraints with 22 Minnesota Counties under a Federal Disaster Declaration working together to access IA statewide. If FEMA staff do not visit your property or area, this does not mean your area is excluded from consideration. All of Windom’s damage assessments are available to FEMA staff in addition to these site visits.
These site visits include a review of any external property damage. FEMA staff will not enter private residences. Property owners do not need to be available but are encouraged to communicate with FEMA staff if they are. These visits do include numerous routine questions from FEMA staff. However, property owners should additionally be aware that:
- Any essential living space in basement or ground floor (such as occupied bedrooms) is crucial for property owners to declare.
- Any sewer back-up into a property should be mentioned.
- Any damage to an electric panel and foundation damage including status of any bowing or collapsing walls should be discussed with FEMA staff.
Lamb stated that the city appreciates the collaboration of property owners as we all work together to try accessing IA. She said that this is a difficult time for the thousands of residents who have experienced damage from the severe storm and flooding event.
To date, city staff have received damage assessments from over 15% of households. Lamb believes that if individual assistance is approved for Cottonwood County residents and becomes available to property owners, these damage assessments were crucial in the process.
To find the city’s full press release, please visit https://windom-mn.com/fema-visit-release-comunicado-de-visita-de-fema/
For more details on this story and the FEMA visit, please see the July 17 edition of the Citizen.
