Big Sky Times

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has formally requested a major disaster declaration from Pres. Joe Biden for the flooding that devastated multiple counties across the state between May 25 and June 30. The governor made his request in a letter dated Aug. 25 that noted the significant consequences that the weather had had on the state as well as the people living there. 

"Due to a previous flooding event in April, the soil had a high concentration of water levels which caused the rain to not be absorbed and flash flooding to occur," Gov. Gianforte wrote in his letter. 

In his letter, Gov. Gianforte made note of the fact that the month of June, which is already typically the wettest month in Montana, was unusually wet. The amount of rain that fell throughout many regions of the state was more than triple the average, which contributed to "record-breaking precipitation." The ground had already been saturated from previous flooding, so it was unable to absorb the water that was falling in torrents, which resulted in flash floods.

According to the letter, one of the counties that was impacted by the disaster had an increase in its financial activity that was "almost 300 times the per capita impact indicator threshold." Recovery is more challenging in rural areas due to their larger size and smaller revenue base, which makes recovery more challenging. The recovery efforts from the devastating flooding that occurred in Yellowstone National Park a year ago is also putting a strain on the resources available in the state.

Local and state emergency budgets do not have the resources to cover the anticipated costs of repairing the hundreds of miles of damaged rural roads, bridges, culverts, and other public infrastructure. 

"The public infrastructure damage is extensive, and with repairs actively being completed, the unexpected cost to return to the pre-disaster condition is beyond the capabilities of both the local emergency fund and the state disaster fund," Gov. Gianforte wrote in his letter. 

Damages to roads, bridges, and flood control systems total more than three million dollars. The governor has requested that a major disaster declaration be expanded to include the counties of Carbon, Daniels, Fergus, Garfield, Golden Valley, Musselshell, Petroleum, Phillips, Stillwater, and Treasure as a direct result of the severe effects that have been caused by this natural disaster.

Montana currently has six Presidential declarations open with liabilities against the state general fund. These declarations include the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic and the 2022 Severe Storms and Flooding. The strain on resources makes it more difficult for the state to oversee and pay for disaster recovery efforts that are already underway as well as those that will be conducted in the future.

In accordance with the Stafford Act, Gov. Gianforte has stated that the state of Montana will pay its proportionate share of any and all costs that are not covered by the federal government. Delila Bruno, who is currently serving as the Administrator of Montana's Disaster and Emergency Services Division, has been designated as the State Coordinating Officer for this request.

It is currently up to Vice President Biden and FEMA to grant approval for this request, which is the next and most important stage in the process of obtaining federal aid for the troubled state.