Montana declared a state of emergency as extreme flooding due to heavy rain and snowmelt submerged multiple areas this week.
The White House on Thursday, June 16, released a statement that President Joe Biden approved the Montana disaster declaration, and acknowledged that a major disaster exists in state.
Based on the White House media release and statement, President Biden ordered Federal assistance to assist Montana's local, tribal, and state recovery efforts in the sites affected by the flooding and severe storm from Friday, June 10.
The statewide disaster declaration will remain in effect until further notice.
Under the state of emergency, the Montana state government will be allowed to access public and emergency funds and allow local authorities to impose strict measures to address the natural disaster.
The budget will shared by eligible local government agencies and private non-profit organizations from the federal funding.
Since last week, Montana has experienced extreme flooding almost concurrently with the floodwaters that submerged the Yellowstone National Park, as an adverse weather struck the Midwest region of the United States.
Montana Disaster Declaration
The White House specified the funding under the state of emergency will be primarily directed to emergency work, repair, or replacement of facilities and infrastructure in the Montana counties of Carbon, Park, and Stillwater.
The mentioned public and private entities involved in the recovery efforts will use the fund in a "cost-sharing basis."
The fund will also be used in "hazard mitigation measures" across the state.
The White House appointed the following officials to the following positions to spearhead the recovery operations in the affected areas:
- Deanne Criswell, administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Maona N. Ngwira, federal coordinating officer at the Department of Homeland Security for the Federal recovery operations
The Biden administration stated further designations may be conducted at a later date.
Montana Extreme Flooding
The ground situation in Montana was dire, especially in the southern and central areas of the state.
The situation prompted Montana Governor Greg Gianforte to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday, June 14, after the inclement weather destroyed bridges, houses, and roads, as reported by NBC News.
The mentioned counties by The White House are the most affected areas, which came after rapid snowmelt and recent torrential rain occurred simultaneously.
The catastrophic event also left Montana residents without electricity and water supply over recent days.
In the latest updates, most power outages have been restored across the state as of Thursday evening, according to the utility tracking site PowerOutage.US.
Rescue Operations
According to the U.S. Army on Wednesday, June 15, aircrews of the Montana National Guard have rescued at least a dozen flood victims in the state this week.
Search and rescue operations are still ongoing in the flood-inundated South-Central Montana.
The Montana National Guard started receiving calls for help from stranded civilians.
This prompted the security forces to use military aircraft, including two helicopters, to be dispatched and evacuate affected Montanans.
Meanwhile, NBC News reported an update that the Montana National Guard has already rescued 87 stranded civilians as of Thursday night.
Related Article: Yellowstone Update: Authorities Warn of Unsafe Local Drinking Water and Displaced Wildlife, Earthquake Swarm Recorded Before Flooding
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