Governor Doug Burgum has requested a presidential major disaster declaration for a severe winter ice storm that caused more than $11.5 million in estimated damage over the Christmas holiday.
In a letter to President Joe Biden through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Burgum requested a major disaster be declared for the period of Dec. 25-27 for 13 counties: Barnes, Cass, Dickey, Grant, LaMoure, Logan, McIntosh, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele, Stutsman and Traill. The counties of Burleigh, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder and Wells were also impacted by the event but didn’t sustain enough damage to exceed the per-capita threshold for being included in the declaration request.
Freezing rain and winds in excess of 40 mph combined to destroy more than 2,000 power poles and forced the closure of major highways and other roads due to life-threatening conditions.
Burgum called it the worst ice storm since 1997 for much of eastern North Dakota, bringing the region to a standstill over the Christmas holiday, causing enormous damage to utility infrastructure and knocking out power to more than 20,000 residents.
The declaration would unlock FEMA public assistance to help pay for the costs of repairing damaged infrastructure.
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