2/17/2016:
The winter of 2009-2010 proved to be the 15th wettest in 115 years, even wetter than the previous winter that led to record-high flooding on the Red River. The worst storm of the winter of 2009-2010 came in January. For five days the state was rocked by ice, freezing rain, heavy snow and high winds. The state Department of Transportation advised no travel as the storm struck every county west of the Missouri River and string of counties that extended all the way to the Minnesota border.
Governor John Hoeven issued a snow emergency order on the storm’s third day. Power outages prompted the National Guard to conduct an aerial survey of power lines in Morton County. The Southwest Water Authority asked customers to conserve water.
On this date, Governor John Hoeven asked the president for a disaster declaration. The request involved twenty-five counties and the Standing Rock Reservation. Nine days after Hoeven’s request, President Barack Obama issued the disaster declaration, which made the state eligible for federal aid on a cost-sharing basis with the federal government picking up 75 percent of the tab.
FEMA determined that the winter storm had knocked down over 1,800 electrical poles, leaving 6,200 rural customers without power. With no heat or light, many of those residents had flocked to motel rooms in Dickinson, and one Dickinson business reported selling 60 generators in a day.
Dakota Datebook written by Jack Dura
Sources:
"http://www.fema.gov/disaster/1879" http://www.fema.gov/disaster/1879
"http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/red-river-rising-18th-consecutive-year-of-floodingwhy" http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/red-river-rising-18th-consecutive-year-of-floodingwhy
"http://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/hoeven-asks-for-presidential-disaster-declaration/article_94373db2-1bf7-11df-8e80-001cc4c03286.html" http://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/hoeven-asks-for-presidential-disaster-declaration/article_94373db2-1bf7-11df-8e80-001cc4c03286.html
"https://www.fema.gov/pdf/news/pda/1879.pdf" https://www.fema.gov/pdf/news/pda/1879.pdf