Lyon Co. declares state of emergency
Resolution will allow aid for June flood damages
MARSHALL — While Lyon County didn’t get as much severe rainfall last month as areas further south, there was still thousands of dollars’ worth of damage done. Lyon County commissioners declared a state of emergency for the county on Tuesday.
The declaration will help make it possible for the county to get state funding to help reimburse the cost of damages, said Lyon County Emergency Manager Emily Coequyt. So far, a total of $78,244.10 in damage had been reported in the county from the rain events June 16-20, she said.
Lyon County didn’t meet the damage thresholds to be eligible for federal funding, but they did meet the eligibility threshold for state funding, Coequyt said.
According to data from the National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, the Marshall area received a total of 6.78 inches of rain for the month of June. Heavy rain in late June led to flood warnings being issued for the Redwood River. Around southwest Minnesota, there were reports of flooding in farm fields and on highways, as well as damage to gravel roads and culverts.
The biggest amount of damage reported in Lyon County so far was in Garvin Park, Coequyt said. The total amount of damage came to more than $63,000.
“It would be nice to recoup some of that,” she said.
So far, a total of four Lyon County townships had reported in with damage from the June rain events. Of the four townships reporting in, two met the damage threshold for township funding.
“Some of our townships are still working” on assessing damage, Coequyt said.
Damage totals from Lyon County townships included $1,900 in Shelburne Township, $5,000 in Fairview Township, $6,000 in Lake Marshall Township, and $2,000 in Stanley Township, she said.
Commissioners voted to pass a resolution declaring a state of emergency due to the June storms.