FEMA teams to visit Minnesota for flooding assistance

Disaster Survivors Assistance teams will be coming to Minnesota to help communities impacted by the summer’s storms and flooding.

The teams, part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will help residents who need assistance navigating the process of securing federal assistance.

According to FEMA, its teams are already in Minnesota, starting in Cottonwood and St. Louis counties and will move to other areas in the coming weeks.

However, some areas don’t need to wait to start applying for federal assistance.

FEMA says some homeowners and renters in Blue Earth, Cook, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue, Itasca, Lake, Le Sueur, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, St. Louis, Waseca, Jackson, Rice, Rock, Steele, and Watonwan counties can apply for aid at DisasterAssistance.gov. They can do so as long as they were uninsured or underinsured when they experienced disaster-related losses from the June 16 to July 4 storms and flooding.

While teams are in Minnesota to assist residents, FEMA warns to be on the lookout for people pretending to represent their assistance teams.

FEMA said its members will always wear a badge with a photograph for identification and never ask for or accept money. According to the agency, wearing FEMA-branded clothes is not proof of identity. Residents are also encouraged to ask for identification.

However, assistance teams will ask for personal information such as a social security number, annual income, and bank information. FEMA said team members can also be verified as legitimate by calling their helpline at 800-621-3362.