Gov. Tim Pawlenty declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon for Freeborn and Mower counties, which were hit hard by heavy rains Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

The governor’s executive order triggers a damage assessment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to determine if these counties are eligible for federal assistance.

Flooding in the two counties has resulted in the loss of life and significant damage to personal property, homes, businesses and infrastructure.

Albert Lea’s engineering department sent two, 4-inch pumps Thursday to Austin after the city’s engineer contacted Albert Lea asking for assistance with flooding in their area.

The engineer did not ask for any personnel assistance at the time, but it will be made available if asked, Albert Lea City Engineer Steven Jahnke said.

Interstate 90 was temporarily closed Thursday at U.S. Highway 218 in Austin due to flooding.

Eastbound motorists were detoured off I-90 to I-35 near Albert Lea, to Highway 30 east, to Highway 56 near Hayfield, south to I-90.

Westbound motorists were detoured off I-90 at the south junction of Highway 218 and could re-access I-90 via the Highway 218 on-ramps.

The State Patrol this morning said I-90 is open today.

Highway 105 was closed Thursday from Mower County Road 5 to the Iowa border due to flooding, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. It remains closed today.