Public infrastructure damage in Freeborn County from heavy rain last week has risen to $1.7 million.

Freeborn County Administrator John Kluever reported the following amount of damage for local government entities from heavy rain Sept. 21 and 22:

• Freeborn County Highway Department: $225,000
• Turtle Creek Watershed District: about $50,000
• Shell Rock River Watershed District: about $345,000
• Freeborn County drainage system: $300,000 to $500,000
• City of Albert Lea: about $200.000
• Albert Lea Area School District: about $25,000, with most damage stemming from Lakeview Elementary School

Nearly 240 homes in Freeborn County had reported damage as of Friday, Kluever said, noting he expects that number to grow this weekend.

Assessment teams have been assessing homes for the last three days, finding varying levels of damage, Kluever said. He expected assessors to have looked at 150 homes where damage was reported by late Friday.

Homeowners are reporting damage to vital parts of their homes, such as water heaters and furnaces, Kluever said, noting the The Salvation Army and other agencies are starting to submit requests for funding to assist homeowners in replacing needed items.

Volunteers are sought to help remove debris from homes Saturday and Sunday.

The volunteers will gather at around 8 a.m. Saturday and at about noon Sunday at Skyline Mall to remove debris and place it at the Albert Lea Transfer Station.

Water levels were described as decreasing very slowly Thursday on the city of Albert Lea’s Facebook page.

Fountain Lake has reportedly dropped 3 inches from Wednesday to Thursday. Albert Lea Lake decreased 5.5 inches at the dam and 5.3 inches at Frank Hall Park, but was still 4 feet higher than normal elevation.

The road in Frank Hall Park had reopened by Thursday, but East Main Street and the Pearl Street and Elizabeth Avenue intersection remained closed.

Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday signed an executive order proclaiming a state of peacetime emergency for areas of southern Minnesota affected by flooding.

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