Kandiyohi County declares state of emergency after storms; one-week no-wake zone set for county lakes
June 17, 2025 | Kandiyohi County, Minnesota
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The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners declared a local state of emergency June 17 after recent storm events and flooding that damaged county roads, parks and private property, and set a temporary one-week no-wake zone on all county waters beginning June 18.
The emergency declaration, presented by Ace Bonama, director of Kandiyohi County Emergency Management, starts the process to request assistance from the State of Minnesota, federal agencies and volunteer organizations, and to document public-infrastructure damage needed for state and federal eligibility. "This declaration starts the process of getting assistance from state of Minnesota, federal government, and volunteer agencies active in disasters," Bonama said.
Why it matters: the declaration lets county staff coordinate damage assessments, request reimbursement for eligible public infrastructure repairs and seek assistance for unmet needs among residents. Bonama told the board the county had set up a hotline for residents with unmet needs at (320) 214-6780 and urged donations to the Wilmer Area Community Foundation to keep funds local.
Board members emphasized assessment work is ongoing. Bonama said preliminary counts suggest road damage alone exceeded state and federal public-infrastructure thresholds — the county threshold cited to qualify for state assistance was about $103,207 and the federal threshold about $206,415 — and that early road estimates were roughly $400,000. "We were looking at over $400,000 so that almost doubles what we need for some of those thresholds," Bonama said.
Board discussion and next steps: Commissioners asked how long the emergency declaration would remain in effect; Bonama said the resolution does not automatically expire and is intended to keep recovery processes moving. The county will hold a call with state partners, may establish a multi-agency resource center for residents seeking assistance, coordinate with townships and cities to total public losses, and await any FEMA inspection or further state direction. County staff cautioned that individual household damages (carpets, appliances) are often not eligible under public-infrastructure reimbursement rules and that some assistance programs (for example, Red Cross criteria) require higher damage thresholds.
As a separate but related action, the county adopted Resolution 2025-22 establishing a temporary 150-foot no-wake zone from shore on all Kandiyohi County waters effective June 18 through midnight June 25 to reduce shoreline and dock damage while water levels remain high. The board said it may revisit or extend the restriction if additional heavy rain is forecast.
The board approved the emergency declaration and the no-wake resolution by voice vote. Officials said they will continue compiling damage totals for state and federal eligibility and will provide updates at future meetings.
The emergency declaration, presented by Ace Bonama, director of Kandiyohi County Emergency Management, starts the process to request assistance from the State of Minnesota, federal agencies and volunteer organizations, and to document public-infrastructure damage needed for state and federal eligibility. "This declaration starts the process of getting assistance from state of Minnesota, federal government, and volunteer agencies active in disasters," Bonama said.
Why it matters: the declaration lets county staff coordinate damage assessments, request reimbursement for eligible public infrastructure repairs and seek assistance for unmet needs among residents. Bonama told the board the county had set up a hotline for residents with unmet needs at (320) 214-6780 and urged donations to the Wilmer Area Community Foundation to keep funds local.
Board members emphasized assessment work is ongoing. Bonama said preliminary counts suggest road damage alone exceeded state and federal public-infrastructure thresholds — the county threshold cited to qualify for state assistance was about $103,207 and the federal threshold about $206,415 — and that early road estimates were roughly $400,000. "We were looking at over $400,000 so that almost doubles what we need for some of those thresholds," Bonama said.
Board discussion and next steps: Commissioners asked how long the emergency declaration would remain in effect; Bonama said the resolution does not automatically expire and is intended to keep recovery processes moving. The county will hold a call with state partners, may establish a multi-agency resource center for residents seeking assistance, coordinate with townships and cities to total public losses, and await any FEMA inspection or further state direction. County staff cautioned that individual household damages (carpets, appliances) are often not eligible under public-infrastructure reimbursement rules and that some assistance programs (for example, Red Cross criteria) require higher damage thresholds.
As a separate but related action, the county adopted Resolution 2025-22 establishing a temporary 150-foot no-wake zone from shore on all Kandiyohi County waters effective June 18 through midnight June 25 to reduce shoreline and dock damage while water levels remain high. The board said it may revisit or extend the restriction if additional heavy rain is forecast.
The board approved the emergency declaration and the no-wake resolution by voice vote. Officials said they will continue compiling damage totals for state and federal eligibility and will provide updates at future meetings.
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