MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will inspect the north Minneapolis homes damaged by Sunday's deadly tornado to determine whether the area is eligible for federal aid.

Officials will hold a news conference Wednesday to talk about the criteria necessary to receive assistance, the process of requesting federal aid and how the inspection will work.

FEMA's damage assessments will begin Thursday.

The damage assessment team includes officials from the state, FEMA and the Small Business Administration. They'll try to estimate repair costs. The state will then determine whether the damage is beyond what the city and state can pay for.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will be at Wednesday's news conference, along with state Homeland Security and Emergency Management director Kris Eide and Paul Ricciuti of FEMA.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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