News Releases for February 2010 Subscribe to RSS Feed
February 2, 2010
For further information, please Contact the Governor's Office
Hoeven: FEMA Approves Request to Begin Preliminary Damage Assessments Resulting From January's Winter Storm
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved his request to begin Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDA) to document losses and costs incurred as a result of last month's severe winter storm. Hoeven requested the assessments January 28, paving the way for a Presidential Disaster Declaration to help municipalities, tribes and rural electric cooperatives (RECs) recover costs associated with the storm.
"The initiation of the PDA process brings us one step closer to helping our communities and state recover from the losses that occurred as a result of January's winter storm," said Hoeven. "We will continue to work with FEMA, through our Department of Emergency Services, to help our municipalities, tribes and rural electric cooperatives recover from this storm and receive reimbursement for losses and damages."
The PDA process will begin on February 8 and should take about a week to complete. The process will document the extent of impact to cities, counties, tribes and rural electric cooperatives incurred in this storm and help them get reimbursement for those damages.
The Governor's request was made as a result of a statewide winter storm disaster that downed power lines and poles primarily in the southwest corner of North Dakota, leaving about 6,200 households without power. As of today, power has been restored to all but 122 households, and efforts continue to restore service to all customers.
According to Hoeven, the state has offered and provided support, including National Guard resources, to help local emergency managers, tribes and RECs restore service to residents. At this time, power has been restored to all communities, and the RECs indicate they have the resources they need and are working as fast as possible to restore service to rural customers.
The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services (NDDES) requests that those without power remain vigilant about personal preparedness and safety, and recommends that generators are kept well away from homes and outside of structures. Carbon monoxide fumes are deadly and can quickly overwhelm.
For further information, please visit the NDDES website at http://www.nd.gov/des/uploads/resources/555/homesafety-winter.pdf and http://www.nd.gov/des/uploads/resources/575/generatorsafety.pdf
E-mail comments to the Governor
Download Adobe Reader to view, print and collaborate on PDF files.