Disaster Recovery Checks Being Delivered to Randall Area

LITTLE FALLS, MN—Disaster recovery checks are going out during the next two weeks to 32 Randall-area homeowners and two nonprofits hit hard by a June 23-24 storm that dropped more than a foot of rain and caused the Little Elk River to overflow its banks.

In total, $83,500 is being distributed by the Randall Area Flood Recovery Task Force and St. James Catholic Church thanks to individual, corporate and nonprofit donations to the Initiative Foundation-hosted Randall Area Flood Recovery Fund. Another $10,000 supported by a grant from Compeer Financial is being distributed to two local businesses: Boone’s Market and OK Tire & Bait.

A smaller round of financial relief is expected in the coming weeks as donations continue to be received. More support is needed, however, to make a meaningful difference and to help homeowners and business owners recover from what was deemed a 500-year rain event by the National Weather Service. A 500-year event means it has a 0.2 percent chance of occurring based on historical records.

People can support Randall-area flood recovery at givemn.org/Randall-Flood or by making an in-person donation at Randall State Bank. All donations are tax-deductible. This fundraising effort is supported by the Morrison County Area Foundation, a Partner Fund hosted by the Initiative Foundation. The Initiative Foundation and its partners continue to look for sources of funding to support the community in what will be a long road to recovery.

“The financial need in Randall is really high for these folks to get their lives back on track,” said Matt Pantzke, Randall city administrator, who shared that many homeowners were without flood insurance or unable to secure it. “We have many homes with significant structural and personal property damage, along with a lot of heating devices and appliances—furnaces, water heaters, washers, dryers.”

According to a Federal Emergency Management Agency cost estimate, a 1,000-square-foot home flooded with 12 inches of standing water will require nearly $30,000 to repair, restore and to replace damaged property. That number jumps to more than $70,000 for a 2,500-square-foot home. With dozens of homes affected, plus several business, costs in the Randall area could easily and conservatively exceed $2 million.