10 Years Later, Lewis County Still Waiting on $1M in FEMA Funding for 2007 Flood

Ten years after the largest flood in recorded history hit the Twin Cities area, Lewis County is still waiting on $1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the raging waters destroyed two bridges that have since been replaced.

According to information provided by the county’s public works department, the money will pay for the replacement of the Chandler Road bridge and the Mays bridge, which is upstream from where the destroyed Leudinghaus bridge once spanned the river. 

Erik Martin, public works director for the county, said both of the bridges were completely destroyed in the 2007 flood. The Chandler Road bridge was replaced in 2010, while the Mays bridge was officially completed in 2016. 

About $575,000 in FEMA funds are also expected for damages sustained in the 2006 flood. This year, Lewis County expects to receive $400,000 for the project dubbed the Davis Creek Alternate.

As for other FEMA funds that are expected to roll in, there is $650,000 for storms in 2015 for repairs to Logan Hill, Snyder Road and Howe Road, and $480,000 for debris removal to be received this year for a storm in 2017.

That totals $2,705,000 in outstanding balances the county is waiting to receive from FEMA. There’s also an additional $668,000 expected for miscellaneous projects after federally declared disasters spanning 2015 to 2017.

According to Martin, funding from FEMA can take a lot of time, so the outstanding balances stretching back to 2006 aren’t completely out of the norm.

“(FEMA) has got priorities they have to sort of shift around all the time,” Martin said. “Obviously with other things going on in the country, they have to work on what’s most urgent at that time. They don’t always get to us very fast, but the good thing is they do eventually get around to us.”

Lewis County currently has eight open federally declared disasters on the books, the oldest of which is the 2006 flood.