Gov. Mark Dayton has issued a state of peacetime emergency declaration in response to recent severe weather.

The declaration states “a persistent weather pattern has repeatedly generated a series of severe summer storms producing torrential rains, flash flooding, high winds, and tornadoes across Minnesota” that “have cause widespread damage to property and public infrastructure.”

Thirty-six counties, including Mower, Freeborn and Fillmore, and one tribal nation were named in the declaration.

As part of the relief process, the declaration directs all state agencies to provide assistance to local and state entities in response to the continued severe weather event. It also paves the way for the Department of Public Safety Homeland Security and Emergency Management division (HSEM) to submit a request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct a preliminary damage assessment and allows HSEM to work with FEMA to determine if damages exceed Minnesota’s federal disaster threshold of $7.7 million.

The state’s Disaster Assistance Contingency Account assists local communities after a natural disaster, even when federal aid is not available. The funds are also used to cover the full FEMA match in federally declared disasters.