North Dakota – Governor Kelly Armstrong put in a request for a presidential disaster declaration to aid in the recovery from June storms that produced deadly tornadoes and widespread damage.
Close to two dozen twisters touched the ground across the state on June 20th, including straight-line winds that caused $11.5 million in damage.
“The destructive power of the storm system that ripped across our state on June 20-21 was unlike anything North Dakotans have seen in recent history – and hopefully something we’ll never see again,” Armstrong said in a statement.
The request was made through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and covers 19 counties, which could access FEMA assistance to help with removing debris, emergency operations and repairs or replacement of damaged infrastructure.
Barnes, Cass, Oliver and Stutsman Counties had the highest damage assessment totals.
“We appreciate the administration considering this presidential disaster request to help alleviate the burden of this historic event,” said Armstrong.
On July 1st, Armstrong established a $37 million state loan program for farmers to replace and rebuild millions of bushels of grain storage that were lost in the storms.
