BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be in North Dakota this week evaluating damage from the ice storm and blizzard that hit the state late last month.
Gov. John Hoeven earlier declared a statewide winter storm disaster and asked FEMA teams to assess the financial impact of the storm, which downed thousands of power lines, damaged more than 1,800 power poles and at one point left about 6,200 rural electric customers without power.
The visit by FEMA officials is the first step toward a presidential disaster declaration that would help communities, tribes and rural electric cooperatives recover costs associated with the storm.
"They're going to be going out to the counties that have been impacted, working with the (rural electric co-ops) to find out what sort of damage estimates are out there, and then they'll be ... working toward a final, total number," state Emergency Services Department spokeswoman Cecily Fong said.
Damage will easily surpass the $1 million threshold for federal disaster eligibility, Fong said.
"Once they have that number established and we know we're over $1 million, then Gov. Hoeven will write a letter to FEMA requesting a presidential disaster declaration," she said.
