WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken and Representatives Collin Peterson, Michele Bachmann, Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, and Erik Paulsen called on the Administration today to issue a disaster declaration for Minnesota counties to help storm cleanup efforts.

In a letter to the White House, the members urged President Obama to take action to assist the 18 counties that sustained substantial damage from June's floods and storms.

The letter follows Governor Mark Dayton's request for federal assistance.

The full text of the letter is below:

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 2050

Dear President Obama:

We are writing to you to request your assistance in helping our constituents recover from recent damaging winds and flash floods in communities across Minnesota.

From June 20-26th, severe storms led to high winds and flash flooding in 18 counties in Minnesota causing extensive damage to roads, culverts, and bridges. The Governor of Minnesota has determined that the damage caused by these storms is beyond the capability of our State and local governments to address on their own. We support this request and encourage you to issue a disaster declaration in a timely manner that would help impacted communities access critically needed federal assistance for debris removal and to repair critical infrastructure.

We thank you for your attention to this request, and look forward to working with you to assist the recovery efforts in Minnesota. 

Sincerely,

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