RAPID CITY, S.D. – Gov. Kristi Noem signed an executive order declaring a disaster in counties hit hard by the December snowstorms, including several West River.
Counties are Bennett, Brookings, Clark, Day, Deuel, Hamlin, Jackson, Jones, Kingsbury, Mellette, Oglala Lakota, Potter, Roberts, Stanley, Todd, and Tripp.
The order states that federal resources are needed to help the state, tribal, and local governments recover from the storms. It is part of a request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration that would free up federal relief.
A release from the governor’s office claims the storms cost an estimated $2.4 million. There was damage to power infrastructure as well as unexpected costs for snow removal.
