Central ND News

BISMARCK – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and John Hoeven (R-ND) along with U.S. Representative Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) have expressed their appreciation after President Joe Biden signed off on a major disaster declaration following a severe winter ice storm that hit North Dakota between December 25, 2023, and December 27, 2023.

“This is welcome news for the ongoing recovery and mitigation efforts across North Dakota,” stated the delegation. “This ice storm downed thousands of powerlines, left tens of thousands of residents without power and caused significant hardship for communities across the state. The resources made available by this declaration will provide an important support to the 13 listed counties.”

The affected counties, which will benefit from the funds distributed through FEMA’s Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant programs, include Barnes, Cass, Dickey, Grant, LaMoure, Logan, McIntosh, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele, Stutsman, and Traill.

The ice storm resulted in the destruction of over 2,000 electrical poles and left more than 20,000 North Dakota residents without power for several days. While additional counties like Burleigh, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, and Wells were also impacted, their damages did not surpass the necessary per capita thresholds required for federal assistance, according to the governor.

Earlier, the North Dakota delegation had urged President Biden to approve Governor Doug Burgum’s plea for a federal disaster declaration.