(Photo provided by governor’s office)
(KNOX) -Gov. Kelly Armstrong praised local leaders, first responders and community volunteers for their impressive response and recovery efforts as he surveyed damage from tornadoes and strong winds that pummeled a large swath of North Dakota last weekend.
“The way North Dakotans have responded to this disaster has been spectacular and is a testament to the exceptional leaders and volunteers in our close-knit communities and the power of collaboration at the local, state and federal levels,” Armstrong said after surveying damage in the Enderlin, Page and Hunter areas. “This storm was unlike anything we’ve seen before, producing more than a dozen tornadoes in an area that stretched across over half our state and inflicting damage that will take weeks to tally. Today we saw heartbreaking destruction and upended lives, but also inspiring examples of volunteers dropping everything to help their neighbors in need, and we thank them all for their hard work, kindness and generosity.”
“Local volunteers and utility crews have made incredible progress cleaning up and restoring power, with less than 300 people remaining without power this morning, down from 37,000 on Saturday,” Armstrong added. “With the information gathered today, we’ll be exploring every option – including requesting a presidential disaster declaration – to assist local recovery efforts, help communities repair infrastructure and restore quality of life for our citizens.”
Armstrong declared a statewide disaster Saturday and activated the State Emergency Operations Plan after multiple tornadoes, strong winds and hail caused widespread damage across the state Friday, resulting in four storm-related fatalities.
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