Governor of South Dakota seeks federal help for damages from summer storms

Gov. Larry Rhoden has asked the federal government to help pay for nearly $4.6 million in damage to public property in South Dakota caused by storms late last month and early this month.

Wind gusts of 100 miles an hour or more tore through central and eastern South Dakota between June 28 and July 3, hitting Hyde and Beadle counties the hardest.

Hyde County estimates $2.8 million in damages to public property due to a June 29 “mini-derecho,” as classified by the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. Wind gusts of up to 131 miles per hour downed trees and powerlines, snapped wind turbine towers in half and left Highmore residents without power for days.

A July 3 storm in east-central South Dakota left “devastation” in Huron as well, Rhoden said in a press release, where a tornado with peak winds of 90 mph followed by wind gusts of up to 106 families toppled trees and damaged multiple buildings in areas including the South Dakota State Fairgrounds. Beadle County suffered almost $897,000 in public property damage.

Bennett, Buffalo, Day, Hand, Hughes and Stanley counties, along with the Crow Creek and Lower Brule reservations, were also included in the request. 

Rhoden’s disaster declaration, signed on Wednesday, opens the door to possible assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If FEMA approves the declaration, it would pick up 75% of the price of repairs to public property. Counties would pay 15%, and the state would pay 10%.