Governor Noem seeks presidential disaster declaration for June flooding in South Dakota

Governor. Kristi Noem formally requested a major disaster declaration from the Biden administration on Friday for 25 counties due to severe flooding that occurred in eastern South Dakota between June 16 and July 8.

Noem signed an executive order declaring the following South Dakota counties a disaster: Aurora, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Douglas, Gregory, Hand, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jackson, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Sanborn, Tripp, Turner, Union and Yankton.

According to the National Weather Service, the rainfall that caused this flooding occurs only once every 1,000 years.

“Today we are filing our request for a presidential disaster declaration to address the damage from a historic, once-in-a-millennia flood that hit South Dakota,” Noem wrote in a Friday news release. “We have worked with families, local governments and officials, and FEMA for weeks to assess the damage. I am so proud of what the people of South Dakota have been able to do to bring our communities back together.”

A presidential disaster declaration provides a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure, including funds for both emergency and permanent operations.

Recent flooding has inundated communities and damaged infrastructure in eastern South Dakota. The North Sioux City community of McCook Lake was hit July 23 by floodwaters diverted from the Big Sioux River, destroying about 30 homes and eroding roads.

A BNSF railroad bridge used to transport freight across the South Dakota-Iowa border in North Sioux City also collapsed on July 23 due to the flooding.

Some parts of Canton also received more than a foot of rain between June 20 and 22, almost exactly ten years after the 2014 flood that hit the area.

One person died as a result of the flooding. The Department of Public Safety confirmed the man was 87-year-old Merlyn Rennich of Harrisburg, who crashed a UTV on a closed road near Lake Alvin, five miles east of Harrisburg. The road was damaged by floodwaters and the man died after he backed into the washed-out shoulder while trying to turn around.

More: DPS confirms fatal crash at Lake Alvin was flood related

The press release from Noem’s office said that teams from the Office of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been on the ground to thoroughly assess damage in the affected areas. They have been working closely together to assess the extent of the damage and coordinate the necessary response efforts.

“This thorough damage assessment was standard procedure with every presidential disaster declaration and is an important part of the process to ensure all applicable counties and citizens are involved,” said Kristi Turman, director of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Services.

At least 11 river levels reached new preliminary record highs, according to the governor’s office. The Big Sioux River near Sioux City crested nearly eight feet higher than previous records. New record highs were set at the following locations:

• Great Sioux River at Canton, Hawarden, Akron, Richland, Jefferson and Sioux City;

• Vermillion River at Davis, Wakonda and Vermillion;

• West Fork Vermillion River near Parker; and

• Turkey Ridge Creek near Centerville.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Noem calls for presidential disaster declaration for June floods