South Dakota Submits Official Request for Presidential Disaster Declaration
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem formally requested a major disaster declaration from the President for 25 counties due to the severe flooding that occurred in South Dakota between June 16 and July 8, 2024. Governor Noem signed Executive Order 2024-06 declaring the disaster. According to the National Weather Service, the rain event that created this flooding was a 1,000-year event (see Image 1 below).
Today, we are submitting our request for a presidential disaster declaration to address the damage from a historic 1,000-year flood that impacted South Dakota,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “We have been working with families, local governments and officials, and FEMA for weeks to assess the damage. I am so proud of what South Dakotans have been able to do to start piecing our communities back together.”
In the aftermath of the flooding, teams from the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been on the ground conducting thorough damage assessments across the impacted areas, working closely to assess the extent of the damage and coordinate the necessary response efforts.
“This thorough damage assessment was normal protocol for a presidential disaster declaration, and it’s an important part of the process to make sure all eligible counties and citizens are included,” said Kristi Turman, Director of the Division of Emergency Services at the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.
During the flood, at least 11 river gauges hit new preliminary record-high levels. The Big Sioux River at Sioux City crested nearly eight feet higher than previous records. New record crests were set at the following locations:
- Big Sioux River at Canton, Hawarden, Akron, Richland, Jefferson, and Sioux City;
- Vermillion River at Davis, Wakonda, and Vermillion;
- West Fork Vermillion River at Parker; and
- Turkey Ridge Creek at Centerville.
The request for a presidential disaster declaration highlights a critical need in the following South Dakota counties: 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.
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Today, over a month after the fact, our governor finally filed for a disaster declaration. On a late Friday afternoon in a shameful Friday news dump.
This only provides further evidence of the communicative incompetency of her administration. Coupled with the PR disaster of her failed book launch and VP bid, it’s clear her entire comms teams need to be canned.
The part-time occupant of the Governor’s office needed to be canned long ago. She may go down as South Dakota’s worst governor. We can only go up from here.
Curious if she can be legally recalled?
No. Impeachment only in SD.
Fat chance Shorma or anyone from the 17th has the moxie to call out the governor for putting her national profile and personal media exposure agenda ahead of SD infrastructure and citizens’ well being.
It’s not that easy. As mentioned below, the information gathering process is from the local governments, including cities and townships; the counties also have to submit their numbers, and the state also adds their numbers. I can see where it may seem like it should be done right away, but you’re waiting for damage numbers from 25 different counties and countless townships and cities to get their numbers in. Unfortunately, it is a one-shot deal, so taking a little bit longer and getting it right, might be an ok thing.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds had her federal disaster submissions done in about a week from the event. The feds drug out Woodbury County (Sioux City) designation a few days longer than the other 12 Iowa counties, but over all Reynolds got it done very quickly compared to Noem.
The process requires collecting information from Local, State, and Federal Agencies and filling out forms. The information can be reported as preliminary or estimates and updated during the process. It’s not Rocket Science, but Someone has to sit down and go to work on it and see the project through to completion. Task Completion seems a challenge for this administration.
She is no longer governing. Time to turn it over to Larry.
Why would Kristi do something that isn’t going to further her career? You plebs are just a tool for her to get to fortune and fame.
******** (quietly remembering how much work a guy like m.michael rounds got done for sd each day and still gets done for that matter) **********