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NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Don Canton or Lance Gaebe
HOEVEN ISSUES DISASTER DECLARATION FOR FEMA REIMBURSEMENT BISMARCK, ND – In addition to the winter storm emergency he declared last week, Gov. John Hoeven has declared a statewide winter storm disaster. Today he requested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency begin Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDA) to document losses and costs that resulted from a severe winter storm that moved through North Dakota on January 20-25, 2010. The request paves the way for a Presidential Disaster Declaration to help municipalities, tribes and rural electric cooperatives recover costs associated with the storm. “We’re taking this action so that FEMA, working with our Department of Emergency Services, can assess the municipal, tribal and rural electric losses and damages incurred in this storm and help them get reimbursement,” Hoeven said. The storm produced freezing rain, ice, heavy snow accumulations and high winds, causing power outages; damage to transportation, water and power infrastructure; and impairing the ability of residents to secure water and heat for their homes and businesses. The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDREC) reported today that significant progress has been made towards restoring electricity in rural areas across North Dakota. As of this morning, power has been restored to nearly 4,500 households since the peak power outage. This leaves 1,745 households without power. The state of North Dakota has offered and provided support, including National Guard resources, to help local emergency managers, the 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 RECs have brought in contract workers from as far away as the states of Washington, Wisconsin, Montana and Colorado, as well as crews from other utility companies in the state, have come to assist line crews in the affected service areas,” said Hoeven. “We will continue to provide all of the assistance we can to local government officials, the tribes and the RECs to make sure that our residents are back online as soon as possible.” “More than 300 additional workers are currently working to restore power,” said Dennis Hill, Executive Director of the NDRECs. “These crews are from across the country and they are working hard in extreme conditions to make sure the power is back on as soon as possible.” Although progress is significant, there are still people without power and those without power must still be vigilant about personal preparedness and safety, according to the Department of Emergency Services. “It is important to use generators and alternative heating sources safely,” said Greg Wilz, Director of Homeland Security. “Remember to keep generators well away from homes and outside of structures. Carbon monoxide fumes are deadly and can quickly overwhelm.” For further information about safety, 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 -###- |
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