Flood Damage Costs Rise in Northeastern Minnesota County

Assessors continue to tally the cost of damaging floods in northeastern Minnesota.

In Carlton County alone, the estimated damage to public and private property has passed $135 million. WDIO-TV reports public infrastructure damage is estimated at up to $110 million. A third of the county’s 12,500 homes have been assessed and so far damage has exceeded $19 million. Businesses and crops sustained at least $5 million in losses.

Carlton County Coordinator Dennis Genereau says the emergency management phase is winding down, shifting the focus to long term recovery.

Moose Lake flood manager Tom Paul says that unlike a tornado, damage from a flood sometimes cannot be seen. Paul says that instead of a tornado that blows a house over, flooding in a house can produce mold.