The devastating storm that traveled through Beltrami County and surrounding areas on June 21 fell $800,000 short in qualifying for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding, Beltrami County Emergency Management Director Chris Muller confirmed Wednesday.

Additionally, the window of opportunity to log further damage to meet the threshold has passed.

Muller noted that Beltrami County should qualify for Minnesota’s Disaster Assistance Contingency Account funding, but is awaiting confirmation. This funding would provide a 75% reimbursement of public infrastructure damage, with the county expected to cover the remaining 25%.

If approved, Bemidji and other municipalities would work with the county to receive a reimbursement for public infrastructure damage.

Still, the MDACA reimbursement only applies to public infrastructure owned by the county and does not apply to private infrastructure owned by residents, who must rely on insurance and other funding streams.

This development followed Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s visit to Bemidji to assess storm damage on July 25. While in town, Klobuchar commented that she, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and District 8 U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber would work together to apply for federal funding if the state qualified.

FEMA funding would have provided relief to the state and the county with a 75% federal reimbursement for public infrastructure damage, with the state expected to cover the rest.

Beltrami County’s Preliminary Damage Assessment with Homeland Security Emergency Management clocked in at $9.7 million. Other counties and municipalities went through the PDA process, but the threshold of $10.7 million was not reached by all parties, which is why the state did not qualify.

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Today is Monday, Aug. 11, the 223rd day of 2025. There are 142 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 11, 1934, the first federal prisoners arrived at Alcatraz Island, a former military prison, in San Francisco Bay; the island would be home to more than 1,500 prisoners over the next three decades, including gangsters Al Capone and James “Whitey” Bulger, before closing in 1963.

Also on this date:

In 1919, Germany’s Weimar Constitution was signed by President Friedrich Ebert.

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In 1929, Babe Ruth became the first baseball player to reach 500 career home runs with a homer at Cleveland’s League Park.

In 1949, President Harry S. Truman nominated General Omar N. Bradley to become the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In 1952, Hussein bin Talal was proclaimed King of Jordan, beginning a reign lasting nearly 47 years.

In 1956, abstract painter Jackson Pollock died in an automobile accident on Long Island, New York at age 44.

In 1965, rioting that claimed 34 lives and lasted six days broke out in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.

In 1972, the last U.S. ground combat troops in South Vietnam left to return to the United States.

In 1973, at a house party in the Bronx, 18-year-old DJ Kool Herc began extending the musical breaks of the records he was playing and speaking over the beat, marking the (unofficial) birth of hip-hop music.

In 1992, the Mall of America, the nation’s largest shopping and entertainment center, opened in Bloomington, Minnesota.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton made the first use of the historic line-item veto, rejecting three items in spending and tax bills. (The U.S. Supreme Court later struck down the veto as unconstitutional.)

In 2012, more than 300 people were killed and more than 3,000 injured after earthquakes struck near Tabriz, Iran.

In 2014, Academy Award-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams died in Tiburon, California at age 63.

Today’s Birthdays:

Magazine columnist Marilyn Vos Savant is 79.
Country music singer John Conlee is 79.
Computer scientist and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is 75.
Musician Joe Jackson is 71.
Playwright David Henry Hwang is 68.
Journalist/commentator David Brooks is 64.
Actor Viola Davis is 60.
Actor Embeth Davidtz is 60.
Actor-host Joe Rogan is 58.
Actor Anna Gunn is 57.
Actor Sophie Okonedo (oh-koh-NAY’-doh) is 57.
Rock guitarist Charlie Sexton is 57.
Hip-hop artist Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest) is 55.
Actor Will Friedle is 49.
Rock singer Ben Gibbard is 49.
Actor Merritt Wever is 45.
Actor Chris Hemsworth is 42.
Rapper Asher Roth is 40.
Political commentator Tomi Lahren is 33.
Actor Alyson Stoner is 32.

Which external solid-state drive is best?

As software becomes more complex and file sizes continue to grow, there will come a point where you won’t have enough native storage left on your computer. External solid-state drives are the best option for increasing storage capacity or serving as a backup for your most valuable information. They have faster transfer speeds and are more durable than external hard disk drives.

The best external SSD is the Samsung T5 Portable SSD 1TB. It’s small and lightweight, and its transfer speeds are fast. It also comes in several capacities and colors.

What to know before you buy an external solid-state drive

Capacity

The amount of data your external SSD can store is the most important factor. They can have anywhere between 128 gigabytes of storage to 10 or more terabytes (1TB is worth 1,000GB). Depending on your needs, you may not need much storage. For example, if you’re only storing basic files, you shouldn’t need more than 500GB. If you’re storing entertainment-related files, like games and movies, you’ll want a minimum of 1TB.

Connection type

The connection type your external SSD uses determines what devices it can connect to and how fast it can read and write data. Most external SSDs use USB connections, either 3.0 or C, with others using Thunderbolt 3.0. USB connections generally have maximum speeds of 5-10 gigabytes per second, which is more than enough for the average consumer. Thunderbolt 3.0 can reach up to 40Gbps, making it perfect for serious data storage needs.

Compatibility

External SSDs aren’t natively compatible with all operating systems. Most are designed to natively work with either Microsoft- or Apple-related OS. Most can be formatted once connected to a different OS in order to work with that OS. Most external SSDs also need to be formatted to work with video game consoles.

What to look for in a quality external solid-state drive

Read and write speed

Read and write speed determines how quickly you can access or transfer a file between your computer and the external SSD. Most SSDs have a maximum of at least 500 megabytes per second; this can transfer the average game in roughly 4 minutes. Better SSDs offer speeds of up to 1Gbps, with ultra-high-end models providing even higher speeds.

Size

Computers used to be the size of entire rooms, and now they fit in your pocket. It’s the same with external SSDs — they used to be as large as Blu-ray cases, but many of them today are smaller than the average business card. However, larger SSDs tend to have more protection and they aren’t as easy to lose.

Durability

Some external SSDs are built tough to protect themselves during travel. These models usually cost more per gigabyte but have more extensive drop, dust and water protection.

How much you can expect to spend on an external solid-state drive

As time goes on, the cost of external SSDs decreases. For now, you can find many for $100 or less, while the best and largest-capacity options start around $200 and go up to nearly $1,000.

External solid-state drive FAQ

How much slower will files load from my external solid-state drive compared to my internal drive?

A. Depending on your computer, it could actually load faster. SSDs are capable of faster read and write speeds than many internal drives. The limiting factor is what ports your prospective external SSD uses to connect to your computer, as well as how advanced your computer’s ports are. For example, if your new external SSD connects via the latest USB technology but your computer only has older USB port tech, your read and write speeds will be as fast as your computer’s old USB tech allows.

How long does an external solid-state drive last?

A. External SSDs can last for years. Two factors shorten their life span: overwriting and environmental effects. The more you overwrite data, the faster it will break. However, many SSDs include extra space to allow for decomposition over time. Environmental effects such as dust and water are the most damaging to SSDs. To extend their life spans, keep them in a storage case when not needed.

What’s the best external solid-state drive to buy?

Top external solid-state drive

Samsung T5 Portable SSD 1TB

What you need to know: This drive has plenty of space at a great price.

What you’ll love: It’s smaller than a business card at 0.4 by 2.91 by 2.26 inches and weighs only 1.8 ounces. It includes two USB cables (A to C and C to C). It’s available in four colors and three additional storage capacities (250 and 500GB, 2TB).

What you should consider: Each capacity has different color options. Its maximum read and write speed is only 540MB. There are some compatibility issues with Apple products.

Top external solid-state drive for the money

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 500GB

What you need to know: This drive is built to last through harsh environments.

What you’ll love: It has up to 1GB read and write speeds. It has drop protection up to 6.5 feet and is IP55 dust- and water-resistant. It has a loop for easy attachment to backpacks, etc. It’s also available in 1, 2 and 4TB capacities.

What you should consider: There are compatibility issues with some Apple products. Its read and write speeds can be handicapped by your computer hardware.

Worth checking out

Adata SE880 Portable SSD 1TB

What you need to know: This is another solid pick for extra storage.

What you’ll love: It has a potential transfer speed of up to 20Gbps when paired with supported devices. It connects with both USB 3.2 and USB-C. It’s waterproof, dustproof and drop- and shock-resistant. It’s tiny, measuring only 2.55 inches by 1.38 inches by 0.48 inches.

What you should consider: The drive firmware does not support the ATA SANITIZE or BLOCK_ERASE_EXT features, which means the drive cannot be securely erased if repurposed or retired.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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