October 22, 2019

State of emergency declared in North Dakota in lieu of flooding, blizzard

Eight North Dakota counties and four cities in the state have issued flood emergency declarations so far, with more expected.

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North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Ag Commissioner Doug Goehring and other state officials met with concerned citizens and public officials in Fargo, Grand Forks and Jamestown to discuss the region’s flooding. Shortly before the visit, Gov. Burgum signed an executive order declaring a statewide flood emergency, paving the way for requests for federal assistance to help North Dakotans deal with significant flooding impacts caused by heavy fall rains and a historic October blizzard.
The group visited the region to see firsthand about the potentially devastating impacts of the unusually wet weather and to share information about the state’s response, including gathering information for possible requests for a USDA secretarial disaster designation and a presidential disaster declaration.
“There’s an economic hardship that we’re facing here relative to this fall’s harvest that is likely unprecedented,” Burgum said in an Oct. 21 statement. “We have a whole team of people across the state who will be activated as part of our whole-of-government approach.”
“This is a challenging time for many of our agricultural producers across the state,” Goehring said. “We want to do as much as we can to help assess what the losses and damages are out there and what the next steps will be.”
Eight counties and four cities in North Dakota have issued flood emergency declarations so far, with more expected. Emergencies have been declared in the counties of Barnes, Cavalier, Grand Forks, LaMoure, Stutsman, Traill, Walsh and Wells and the cities of Grand Forks, Jamestown, LaMoure and Valley City.

Food producers encouraged to report damage

Producers are encouraged to contact their county Extension agents to report damage, losses and conditions they are dealing with now. This week, agents are completing a survey to provide a snapshot of the current situation.

“It’s critical for producers to share information with Extension so that we can assess the current condition across the state,” said Goehring said. “Once that is determined, we will provide information to the Governor to assist in consideration for a Secretarial disaster declaration.”

“County-based NDSU Extension agents also have information about drying grains that have to be harvested at high moisture, setting equipment for best efficiency in wet situations, feeding cattle in poor conditions and more,” Stoltenow said. Find contacts for your county Extension agent at www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension/directory/counties or by searching “NDSU Extension directory” and choosing the county offices option.

— Northern Plains Potato Growers Association

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