Walz authorizes Minnesota National Guard to provide emergency relief in blizzard December 23, 2020 7:42 PM Site staff (Associated Press Photo) ST. PAUL, Minn. (WKBT) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz authorized the Minnesota National Guard to provide emergency relief services for stranded motorists in a winter storm that began raking the state Wednesday afternoon and reached blizzard conditions Wednesday night. The Minnesota National Guard is activated in Renville and Martin counties. Additional support will be provided in other parts of the state if needed. Heavy snow and strong winds have stranded motorists in Renville County, where two major highways were closed because of blizzard conditions.