Central ND News

Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, along with Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak, have expressed support for Governor Kelly Armstrong’s request for a major disaster declaration in response to severe storms that struck North Dakota on August 7–8. The storm system brought tornadoes, large hail, and winds reaching up to 100 mph across eastern and south-central regions of the state.

The event resulted in widespread power outages impacting more than 16,000 residents. Damages to electrical infrastructure alone are estimated at nearly $6 million. In addition to utility losses, homes, farms, and businesses also suffered significant damage. The congressional delegation has called on the Trump administration to expedite approval of the disaster declaration so federal assistance can be made available for recovery efforts in Barnes, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, Nelson, Steele, and Stutsman counties.

“While North Dakotans are extremely resilient, the August 7-8 severe storm system, coupled with the previous June 20-21 derecho event, has compounded the need for federal recovery assistance in areas of our state…We support the State’s request and respectfully request you approve it as soon as possible so the necessary Federal resources can be made available to North Dakotans,” wrote the delegation.

This recent appeal follows an earlier letter from Hoeven, Cramer, and Fedorchak supporting a disaster declaration after a derecho storm on June 20–21 caused over $11 million in damages across 19 counties.

Full text of the delegation’s letter can be found here.