Hoeven: State Expects To Reach Threshold For Spring Storm Federal Disaster Declaration

Press Release

Gov. John Hoeven today said the state Department of Emergency Services expects the damages from a recent spring storm to exceed the $1 million threshold necessary for a federal disaster declaration. The declaration will help the state's rural electrical cooperatives (REC) recover from a severe late season storm that hit southwest and central North Dakota on April 1-2.

Hoeven asked state and federal Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) teams to begin evaluating the impact of the storm on rural electric cooperative infrastructure last weekend. The teams began working Tuesday, and are expected to have results by Saturday. The Governor will use the documentation to ask the President for a federal disaster declaration by Monday.

The late season storm struck southwest and central North Dakota with significant rain and snow showers, heavy snow accumulations, and wind gusts in excess of 30 miles per hour. Affected counties include parts of Morton, Grant, Sioux, Oliver, Burleigh, McHenry, Ward, Sheridan, Wells and McLean counties, as well as the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

Initially, as many as 8,400 customers were without service and between 9,000 and 10,000 poles were damaged. As of Wednesday, electricity has been restored to all but 2,600 households, according to the RECs and Montana-Dakota Utilities.

"Some customers are still without power, and efforts to restore service are ongoing, but we want to thank the many linemen and others who are working hard to get people back on line again," Hoeven said.

Hoeven issued a snow emergency order on April 2 activating all state agencies and resources in response to a strong spring storm impacting much of southwestern and central North Dakota and subsequently issued a state disaster declaration.

To assist during the emergency, the Governor made available all state assets to provide the personnel, resources, and equipment necessary to support state and county actions, and to assist rural electric and telephone cooperatives to restore power and telephone services. The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, Highway Patrol and other agencies were activated to assist the RECs access and repair lines.

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