The disaster declaration for 13 Minnesota counties and three tribal nations devastated by flooding in northeastern Minnesota last month was approved Friday by the federal government. The $108 million in aid only covers damage to public infrastructure.

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.

Golden Valley Mayor Shep Harris is leading the charge in asking President Barack Obama for disaster assistance in the wake of the flooding that affected Duluth and surrounding areas. Duluth Mayor Don Hess says Harris wrote the president, saying "devastation could not have come at a worse time" because the businesses in the affected areas heavily rely on tourism.

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.

Despite suffering damage in the same floods that devastated Duluth and northeastern Minnesota last month, Superior, Wis., most likely won't meet requirements for federal disaster aid, the city's mayor said Wednesday. The damage the city sustained appears to be far below the Federal Emergency Management Agency's threshold numbers.

Following his trip to flood-ravaged Duluth, Gov. Mark Dayton says he will survey damage in other cities hit by floods in northeastern Minnesota, including Moose Lake and Carlton. He was going to visit as soon as Saturday, but was asked to hold off because of continuing clean-up efforts in the area.

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.

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.