ZUMBRO FALLS — Gov. Tim Pawlenty returned for a second visit to Zumbro Falls today, where he met with the mayors of Zumbro Falls and Hammond, local legislative leaders and other authorities to get a sense of flood damage.
"We want to put out an appeal to Minnesotans to help these communities," Pawlenty said.
He urged people to volunteer by calling the United Way at 211.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration are still doing damage assessments, but Pawlenty expects preliminary results later this week. Once the assessments are done, agencies can ask the president to declare the region a disaster area.
In the eight years that Pawlenty has been governor, he said, this disaster ranks as one of the largest he's dealt with.
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"With 34 or so counties impacted, it's as large as any we have seen," Pawlenty said.
