Central ND News

Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, along with Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak, have backed a request by Governor Kelly Armstrong for a major disaster declaration. This follows the severe derecho storm that affected North Dakota on June 20-21, 2025. The delegation is urging the Trump administration to swiftly approve the state's request for federal assistance aimed at recovery efforts across 19 counties in southern, central, and eastern North Dakota.

In their statement, the delegation highlighted the impact of the storm: “…the storm system caused unavoidable damages to infrastructure and property, and tragically took the lives of 4 North Dakotans…This disaster not only destroyed North Dakotans’ homes and businesses but negatively impacted our farmers and ranchers, as well as rural electric cooperatives.” They emphasized damage to critical buildings, equipment, silos, grain bins, and elevators just months before fall harvest. Additionally, they noted significant harm to electrical infrastructure which left nearly 37,000 homes and businesses without power at the peak of the storm.

The letter concludes with a call for quick approval: “We support the State’s request and urge you to approve it as soon as possible so the necessary Federal resources can be made available to North Dakotans.”