Peace Garden News

Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, along with Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak, have expressed support for Governor Kelly Armstrong’s request for a major disaster declaration after a derecho storm struck North Dakota on June 20–21, 2025. The lawmakers urged the Trump administration to quickly approve federal assistance to help recovery efforts in 19 counties throughout southern, central, and eastern parts of the state.

In their statement, the delegation highlighted the impact of the storm: “…the storm system caused unavoidable damages to infrastructure and property, and tragically took the lives of 4 North Dakotans…This disaster not only destroyed North Dakotans’ homes and businesses, but negatively impacted our farmers and ranchers, as well as rural electric cooperatives,” wrote the delegation. “Critical buildings, equipment, silos, grain bins and elevators were damaged or lost just months ahead of the fall harvest. The straight-line winds were extremely harmful to electrical infrastructure. At the peak of the derecho, nearly 37,000 homes and businesses were without power, and in rural areas, service was disrupted for as long as a week…We support the State’s request and urge you to approve it as soon as possible so the necessary Federal resources can be made available to North Dakotans.”

The full text of their letter is available online.