Governor Burgum visiting blizzard affected counties following state emergency declaration

Courtesy of: North Dakota Office of the Governor
Courtesy of: North Dakota Office of the Governor

(Bismarck, ND) -- North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and several other state officials met inside the Divide County Courthouse to see the damage dealt to the county's electrical infrastructure firsthand.

The move follows the emergency declaration issued in response to statewide blizzard and rain storms. More than 7,800 outages are reported by PowerOutage.US following the snow event.  Officials say ice coated power lines and wind-downed poles caused more than 1,800 customers to lose power at the peak of the outage. Officials say more than 1,000 utility poles and 14 miles of transmission lines are damaged. Utility officials say it could take two weeks or more to restore power to all areas affected. 

Burgum says the community's affected are pulling together to weather the storm, and to help those in need.

“We’re grateful for the leadership on display at all levels and for the tireless efforts of first responders, law enforcement, snowplow crews, utility workers, local, state and federal agencies and others working to protect lives and property. The State of North Dakota will continue to respond with a whole-of-government approach that prioritizes the health, safety and well-being of our citizens.”

You can read more about Burgum's visit to Divide County by clicking here