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Fargo, ND 58102
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... through disaster preparedness and response
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Lutheran Disaster Response ND

            Past Disaster Archives

The most famous disaster in North Dakota was the flooding of the entire Red River Valley of the
North.  Cities along its path were devastated by waters that overflowed from its normal 100 yard
riverbed to become 25 miles wide.

In the years of 1997 and  2000, there were 2 Presidential declarations of disasters each year.

North Dakota has had many such declarations:
  • June 13, 2000 - Flooding in rural communities
  • June 19, 2000 - Flooding in Fargo
  • August 12, 2000 - Straight line winds in Devils Lake
  • June 2005 - Flash Flooding in Edgeley area
  • July 12, 2006 - Coleharbor Tornado
  • August 26, 2007 - EF4 Tornado in Northwood
  • July 7, 2008 - Tornado in Rolette County
  • Spring 2009 - Flooding in 26 ND counties and the Dickinson Tornado July 2009
  • Spring/Summer Flooding - Minot, Williston, Bismarck, Mandan and high tables across ND
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FEMA-DR-1981-ND-2011
Spring/summer flooding across ND.  Hardest hit counties (Burleigh, Morton, Ward, Renville, McHenry)
received an Individual Assistance declaration.


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FEMA-DR-1829-ND - 2009
Spring flooding in many counties and a tornado in Dickinson in July led to a Presidential disaster
declaration for 34 counties and 3 Indian reservations in North Dakota for Adams, Barnes, Billings,
Burleigh, Cass, Dickey, Emmons, Foster, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure,
Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, Mercer, Morton, Nelson, Oliver, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Richland,
Sargent, Stark, Steele, Stustman, Towner, Traill, Walsh, Ward and Ward counties and the Spirit Lake,
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and Standing Rock Indian Reservations.  Individual Assistance
was granted giving a wide range of aid, including emergency home repair, temporary disaster
housing, replacement gratns for serious disaster-related needs and expenses not covered by
insurance or other assistance programs.

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FEMA-DR-1726-ND - 2007

An EF-4 tornado struck the town of Northwood ND the evening of August 26, 2008.  Presidential
disaster declarations include public assistance to repair infrastructure and public property and
Individual Assistance to aid residents.  Two mobile home parks were reported destroyed.  Nearly 90
percent of the 450 homes in Northwood sustained damages with approximately 100 uninhabitable.  
There has been one confirmed fatality and 17 injuries.

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FEMA-DR-1645-ND - 2006
Severe storms, flooding, and ground saturation led to a Presidential disaster declaration on June 5,
2006 for Cass, Cavalier, Grand Forks, Pembina, Ransom, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Towner, Traill
and Walsh Counties and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Reservation. The declaration was for
public assistance.

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FEMA-DR-1621-ND - 2006
Cass, Ransom, Richland and Sargent Counties received a Presidential disaster declaration on
January 4, 2006 for a severe winter storm. The declaration was for public assistance.

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FEMA-DR-3247-ND - 2005
On September 13, 2005, North Dakota received a statewide emergency declaration due to emergency
conditions resulting from the influx of evacuees from areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The
declaration was needed to provide assistance to the state in providing sheltering operations to
hurricane evacuees.

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FEMA-DR-1616-ND - 2005
On November 21, 2005, 22 counties and one reservation received a Presidential disaster declaration
for severe winter storms and near record snow. The counties of Benson, billings, Bottineau, Bowman,
Burke, Dunn, Golden Valley, McHenry, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Oliver, Pierce, Renville, Rolette,
Sheridan, Stark, Towner, Ward, and the Fort Berthold Reservation were all declared for Public
Assistance. Jurisdictions declared for Category B (snow removal and emergency protective
measures) include the counties of Billings, Bowman, Burke, Dunn, Golden Valley, McKenzie, Morton,
Mountrail, Stark, Ward, and Williams. On January 13, 2006, Slope County was declared for both public
assistance and category B.

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FEMA-DR-1597-ND - 2005
On July 22, 2005, 20 counties and 2 reservations received a major disaster declaration for severe
summer storms, flooding and ground saturation. The declared jurisdictions included the counties of
Benson, Bottineau, Cavalier, Dickey, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, McHenry, Nelson, Pierce,
Ramsey, Richland, Sargent, Sioux, Traill, Walsh, Ward and the Turtle Mountain and Standing Rock
Sioux Indian Reservations. On August 3, 2005 6 more counties and a reservation were added onto
the declaration. These included the counties of Mountrail, Pembina, Ransom, Renville, Rolette,
Towner and the Three Affiliated Tribes reservation. The public assistance program was made
available for these jurisdictions and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program was made available to all
counties and reservations in North Dakota.

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FEMA-DR-1515-ND - 2004
Heavy 2004 spring snowfalls and rain on frozen and saturated ground in north central and north
eastern North Dakota formed the basis for flooding. On March 29, 2004, Governor John Hoeven
issued a flood emergency declaration for 10 North Dakota counties and the Spirit Lake Indian
Reservation. The declaration was upgraded to a disaster declaration on April 20, 2004, when
Governor Hoeven requested President Bush issue a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for North
Dakota. On May 5, 2004, President Bush declared 10 North Dakota counties and the Spirit Lake
Indian Reservation a major disaster as a result of severe storms and flooding beginning March 26.
Counties included as part of the initial disaster declaration are Benson, Cavalier, Grand Forks,
Griggs, Nelson, Pembina, Ramsey, Steele, Traill and Walsh. On June 9, the disaster declaration was
amended to include Bottineau, Burke, Mountrail, Renville, Towner, and Ward counties, making them
eligible to apply for federal public assistance. These counties experienced widespread damage to
rural electric cooperatives, as well as impacts to roads, bridges and culverts.

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FEMA-DR-1483-ND - 2003
On August 1, 2003 North Dakota received a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for damage due
to severe storms and high winds that occurred June 24-25, 2003. This declaration made available
Public Assistance Program funds to rural electric cooperatives in Barnes County. Hazard Mitigation
Grant Program (HMGP) funds were made available for all North Dakota counties and reservations.

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FEMA-DR-1431-ND - 2002
On September 10, 2002, President Bush signed a declaration of major disaster for five counties and
one Indian reservation. The declaration was the result of heavy rains, high winds, hail, and tornado
activity that caused damage to roads, culverts, water and septic systems, and other public
infrastructure from June 8, 2002 to August 11, 2002. The Public Assistance Program became
available in Grand Forks, Pembina, Stutsman, Traill, and Walsh Counties and the Three Affiliated
Tribes of For Berthold Indian Reservation. All the counties and Indian Reservations in the State were
eligible for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program assistance.

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FEMA-DR-1376-ND - 2001
President Bush signed a declaration of major disaster in the State of North Dakota on May 28, 2001.
Severe storm activity with associated flooding, ground saturation and damaging winds that caused
damage from March 1, 2002 through August 9, 2001 resulted in 36 counties and two Indian
reservations being designated for the Public Assistance Program. The Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program was made available for all counties and reservations within the State.

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FEMA-DR-1334-ND - 2000
On June 28, 2000, within one day of a request by Governor Edward T. Schafer, the President issued a
Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for North Dakota for severe storms, flooding and ground
saturation. Beginning in early April, high winds and heavy rainfall in excess of 10 inches caused
flooding in central and northeastern North Dakota. High water tables, resulting from eight consecutive
years of flooding, continued to exacerbate safety- and health-related problems in some areas of
eastern and central North Dakota. This declaration made available Public Assistance and Individual
Assistance to 26 counties and three Indian reservations. Thirteen contiguous counties were also
eligible for Individual Assistance. All North Dakota counties and reservations were eligible to apply for
Hazard Mitigation funds.

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FEMA-DR-1279-ND - 1999
North Dakota received a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration on June 8, 1999, for severe storms,
flooding, snow and ice, ground saturation, landslides and mudslides and tornadoes. This declaration
made available Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for three reservations and 39 counties.
All North Dakota counties and reservations were eligible to apply for Hazard Mitigation funds.

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FEMA-DR-1220-ND - 1998
On June 14, Governor Schafer received word from the White House that President Clinton approved
his request for a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for flooding in 13 counties and two Indian
reservations, Spirit Lake Tribe and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. That declaration was later
expanded to include three additional eastern North Dakota counties. The request was based on
excessive precipitation on lands already saturated by six years of disastrous flooding. In addition,
land-locked Devils Lake continued its historic rise, laying claim to agricultural and residential property.
The presidential declaration made available the Public Assistance and Individual Assistance
Programs for the 16 counties and two Indian Reservations. All North Dakota counties and
reservations were eligible to apply for Hazard Mitigation funds.

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FEMA-DR-1174-ND - 1997
On April 7, 1997, the President issued a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for North Dakota for
the state’s most catastrophic disaster. Floodwaters forced more than 50,000 North Dakotans from
their homes and caused more than two billion dollars in damages. The Red River flooded 2,2000
square miles in North Dakota, an area twice the size of Rhode Island. The declaration covered
damages resulting from flooding, severe winter storms, high winds, heavy spring rain and ice jams.
These conditions began on February 28, 1997. This declaration made available Public Assistance,
Hazard Mitigation and Individual Assistance to all 53 counties in the state of North Dakota.