Responding to Devastation
By: Gov. Larry Rhoden
July 10, 2026
Natural disasters are devastating, but they also provide opportunities for our state to show what we are made of. I’ve served as a volunteer firefighter my entire life, and my administration is ready to respond to any emergency.
Most recently, Sandy and I have been on scene in Hyde and Beadle counties after record setting straight line winds. Everywhere we looked, there were neighbors helping each other, folks from the next town bringing needed equipment, and businesses offering goods and shelter. The volunteer efforts have just been incredible.
I’m always amazed by how well our state agencies work together and with local officials to respond quickly. In both recent storms, state agencies responded within hours of the damage – and they stuck around for a week of long hours from seven agencies.
In both Huron and Highmore, our public safety officials are on the ground providing security and traffic control. Transportation crews are helping with road closures and heavy equipment. We have crews of inmates cleaning up debris at no cost to the communities. While all that is happening, the Department of Social Services is working with community partners to make sure residents have access to the resources and support they need, and the Department of Human Services is working with nursing homes across the region to place displaced residents in facilities that have offered to provide care.
My immediate visits are always worth the time. It is important to me to look people in the eye and let them know we are doing everything we can to put their lives back together.
The National Weather Service has now confirmed a tornado touched down in Huron. Even before that confirmation, we were working with FEMA to receive a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration, which will hopefully draw down federal support. These communities are continuing to assess the full extent of the damage and calculate recovery costs. Although it is too early to determine whether the disaster will meet the thresholds necessary for FEMA, we will continue to put in the work to help get these communities back on their feet.
There are many more heroes to mention, but a special thanks to our electric companies. A natural disaster often comes with loss of power for some of our citizens. This is when linemen become heroes. They are out at all hours and in all conditions getting power back to as many customers as possible as fast as possible.
In addition to the seven agencies responding to storm damage, we have National Guard and the Bureau Information and Technology helping Pennington County through a cybersecurity incident. The GRIT task force I created last year has had countless benefits for our preparedness as a state, including the strengthening of partnerships between state agencies and our communities. The investigation is still underway, but GRIT has laid a foundation for a faster and more robust response to these types of situations. I am proud of the work of our soldiers and technology professionals. Their specialized expertise in cybersecurity has been critical to this response.
South Dakotans always look out for one another, especially when times are tough. Thank you to everyone lending a hand and praying for those who have been impacted. We can be thankful that neither of these storms resulted in a loss of life. We’ll continue working together to help our fellow South Dakotans rebuild.
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