Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Tom Weber
Hugo, Minn.

Officials tour damage; Gov. says special session possible

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty
Gov. Tim Pawlenty walks amidst the debris of flattened homes as he surveys the damage Monday in Hugo, Minn. The storm that struck Hugo was one of several that battered the Midwest on Sunday, including a tornado that killed seven in northeast Iowa.
AP Photo/Jim Mone

Residents of the hardest hit areas of Hugo, Minn. were allowed back into their neighborhoods this afternoon.

They are being given five hours to survey the damage to their homes, collect belongings and secure their property. However they must leave the area again by 6 p.m.

Gov. Pawlenty and Sen. Klobuchar
Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Sen. Amy Klobuchar talk with reporters after surveying the damage to Hugo on Monday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon an apparent tornado destroyed 300 building in the city, killing one 2-year-old boy and hospitalizing 17 other people.
MPR Photo/Tom Weber

Gov. Tim Pawlenty toured the damaged area, along with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Earlier in the day, Sen. Norm Coleman visited the site.

The governor said investigators are still documenting the losses to determine whether funds from FEMA could be used. If not, the governor kept open the possibility of calling a special session, should state resources need to be accessed.

Pawlenty and Klobucahr toured the city on foot and in a helicopter. He said the state will consider assisting the city.

Exposed home
A Hugo home sits with its furniture exposed after the home's wall was ripped off it by an apparent tornado on Sunday afternoon.
MPR Photo/Curtis Gilbert

"We'll have to assess the damage of course, and in many cases these are private homes with insurance, so that will help. We've always stepped in as a state and provided some help in these situations, usually, so I'm sure that will be coming," Pawlenty said.

The governor spoke to reporters at Oneka Elementary School, a fairly new building that was spared any damaged and has served as a central command for most of the day. That's where residents have checked in, reported missing pets, gotten food and other items.

Aside from houses that were, as one official put it, "exploded" from the winds, many other houses also sustained heavy hail damage.

Media were scheduled to be allowed into the barricaded areas at 3 p.m.

Gallery
1 of 2
Gov. Tim Pawlenty
Gov. Tim Pawlenty walks amidst the debris of flattened homes as he surveys the damage Monday in Hugo, Minn. The storm that struck Hugo was one of several that battered the Midwest on Sunday, including a tornado that killed seven in northeast Iowa.
AP Photo/Jim Mone
2 of 2
House with side ripped off
A house in Hugo that had its side ripped off by a tornado Sunday is lined off with police tape. Hugo residents were waiting Monday morning to be allowed back into the neighborhood.
MPR Photo/Curtis Gilbert