| DCLPublicationDate: 4/1/97 DCLID: Disaster Letter-97-12 AwardYear: Summary: Declared disaster areas for recent floods in Minnesota. April 9 1997 SUMMARY: Declared disaster areas for recent floods in Minnesota. Dear Guaranty Agency Director: On April 8, President Clinton declared the following 21 counties in MINNESOTA to be disaster areas because of severe weather and flooding that began on or about March 21: MINNESOTA: Benton, Big Stone, Brown, Chippewa, Clay, Kittson, Lac Qui Parle, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, Sherburne, Stearns, Swift, Traverse, Washington, Wilkin, Wright, and Yellow Medicine. For borrower-initiated 90-day forbearances under the guidelines first outlined in the January 14, 1997 "Dear Guaranty Agency Director" letter, the March 21 date may be used retroactively. Lenders and guaranty agencies may also grant a borrower-initiated 90-day forbearance on or after the date of this letter if the lender or guarantor believes the borrower needs one. We will notify you if additional areas in Minnesota or other states are designated by the President or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Lenders and guaranty agencies may contact the Department's toll-free number at 1-800-433-7327, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST for further updates. This letter has also been sent to each regional office of the Department, plus the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs, Inc., the Consumer Bankers Association, and the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Sincerely, Pamela A. Moran Chief, Loans Branch Policy Development Division Student Financial Assistance Programs |