Gov. Armstrong asks Trump administration for help recovering from August storms

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Thursday made his second presidential disaster request of the summer. 

Armstrong sent a letter to President Donald Trump and the Federal Emergency Management Agency requesting federal help in recovering from storms that damaged buildings and other infrastructure Aug. 7-8. 

The storms with tornadoes, winds up to 100 mph and large hail knocked out power to 16,000 residents in south-central and eastern North Dakota, Armstrong’s letter said.  Electrical infrastructure damage is estimated at $5.5 million.

Armstrong asked Trump to declare a major disaster for Barnes, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, Nelson, Steele and Stutsman counties. The letter says the hardest hit area was Stutsman County, including the cities of Jamestown and Courtenay. 

Without federal support, Armstrong’s letter said the cost of recovery will fall on taxpayers and utility customers. 

“The hardships created by these severe storms pushed many emergency management offices beyond their capacity, forcing them to juggle response, recovery, and resource coordination under immense pressure,” Armstrong said in the letter. 

Armstrong had previously requested a presidential major disaster declaration for storms in June that killed four people and caused more than $11 million in damage to public infrastructure in North Dakota. That request is still pending. 

Thursday’s letter notes that the August storms tracked a similar path to the June storms. 

The governor’s latest request comes after a statewide disaster declaration by Armstrong on Tuesday.