Sen. Cramer: FEMA Awards More Than $4 Million to North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. - The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently made two funding announcements regarding obligated funds for natural disasters.

In the first announcement, FEMA obligated $410,152 to the State of North Dakota to support emergency power projects and disaster recovery. The funding follows a major disaster declaration requested due to straight-line winds and historic wildfires that occurred on Oct 5 - 6, 2024, in McKenzie and Williams counties. The funding will be distributed as follows:

• $175,401 for the Missouri River Correctional Center Mancamp Generator Project to support emergency generators and backup power.
• $127,527 for the City of Jamestown Porter Brothers Booster Station Generator Project to support emergency generators and backup power.
• $107,222 for additional costs associated with the disaster recovery effort.

Cramer and the North Dakota delegation wrote a letter in 2024 to then-President Biden requesting he approve a major disaster declaration submitted by former Governor Doug Burgum.

"While North Dakotans are extremely resilient, these historic wildfires have deeply impacted the agricultural community and electrical infrastructure," the delegation wrote. "The loss of livestock, structures, equipment, and the destruction of shelterbelts and windbreaks will take years to recover from. We are immensely grateful for the first responders, farmers and ranchers, as well as the local, state, tribal, and federal agencies who swiftly responded to these wildfires, and prevented further loss of life and property. […] We support the State's request and urge you to approve it as soon as possible so the necessary Federal resources can be made available to North Dakotans."

In the second announcement, FEMA obligated $4,047,318 to the State of North Dakota to support recovery efforts from events that occurred in August 2025 and the Spring of 2022.

On Aug 7 - 8, 2025, the south central and eastern part of North Dakota was impacted by straight-line winds, tornadoes, and hail. After a major disaster declaration was requested, Minnkota Power Cooperative will be awarded $3,821,891 for permanent repairs to its electrical transmission system following the severe storms. The project includes replacing damaged transmission structures and installing bird-flight diverters to help reduce future damage.

Cramer and the North Dakota delegation wrote a letter in 2025 to President Trump requesting he approve a major disaster declaration submitted by Governor Kelly Armstrong.

"North Dakota has their own staff work with each impacted community, perform damage assessments, log damages as project worksheets, and submit them to FEMA for approval and funding," the delegation wrote. "We believe our State is a great example of how to effectively and efficiently respond and recover from disasters."

Additionally, in the second announcement, FEMA awarded $225,426 to the State of North Dakota to support flood damage repairs and electrical transmission system restoration following severe storms and flooding in the Spring of 2022. The funding will be distributed to the Pembina County Water Resource District for the repair or replacement of water control facilities.

The North Dakota delegation wrote a letter in 2022 to then-President Biden requesting he approve a major disaster declaration submitted by former Governor Doug Burgum.

"Homes throughout western North Dakota went without power for over three weeks due to the strong winds and ice accumulation that collapsed 7,000 utility poles and over 550 miles of electrical infrastructure damage," the delegation wrote. "North Dakota has made significant investments in flood control throughout the state, yet the severity of the storms caused those structures to be made vulnerable and put in jeopardy."