U.S. Sen. Al Franken had a busy Saturday visiting several areas damaged in recent flooding in northeastern Minnesota. Franken -- who co-sponsored the state's $108 million disaster declaration with Gov. Mark Dayton and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar -- made stops in Duluth's Fond du Lac neighborhood, Barnum, Moose Lake and Willow River.

Gov. Mark Dayton announced in Duluth Friday that he will ask President Barack Obama for a $108 million disaster declaration stemming from last week's floods in northeastern Minnesota. The money will be used to repair damages sustained by public infrastructure in the 13 counties and three tribal areas affected by the flooding.

Now that the waters have abated in northeastern Minnesota following last week's storms, area residents are dealing with a flood of trash. The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District's Materials Recovery Center in Duluth is one of the destinations for the trash, which is coming in from a 530 square mile area covering St. Louis and Carlton counties.

Gov. Mark Dayton sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency Wednesday appealing the government's decision to deny financial assistance to individuals in the wake of the northeastern Minnesota floods in June. Dayton wrote in the letter to FEMA that the rain and floods in the area caused "one of the worst natural disasters in Minnesota’s history."

Floodwaters are receding in most areas of northeast Minnesota, but it will be several more days before the area is safe to travel. Many flood victims have started to turn their attention to cleaning up and surveying the damage -- which is expected to exceed $100 million in Duluth alone. Residents in the Fon du Lac neighborhood were among those allowed to return Saturday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied an appeal Friday from Gov. Mark Dayton for aid for individuals and businesses affected by floods in northeastern Minnesota in June. Dayton said he was "disappointed" by FEMA's ruling and that he'll ask the state legislature for an estimated $7.4 million in assistance in an upcoming special session.

Gov. Mark Dayton's request for a disaster declaration in Carlton, Pine and St. Louis counties, as well as the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, following June's floods, was granted Friday by the Small Business Administration. With the approval, affected homeowners, renters, businesses and not-for-profit organizations can apply for low-interest loans up to $200,000.

A request for federal individual assistance for Northeastern Minnesota has been denied. W. Craig Engate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told Gov. Mark Dayton in a letter that damage to dwellings from the flooding that began June 19 “was not of such severity and magnitude as to warrant the implementation of individual assistance.” The state has 30 days to appeal the decision. Gov. Mark Dayton "is very disappointed."