Gianforte declares disaster from early May flooding

Governor Greg Gianforte issued an executive order Saturday declaring a statewide disaster in response to flooding in northern and central Montana.

The flooding occurred after heavy rainfall including a record-setting amount of 2.59 inches in Havre May 7.

Hill County Commission declared an emergency, although it did not declare a disaster at that time.

“Runoff from recent heavy rain and snow has compromised critical electrical infrastructure and roads and bridges in Montana,” Gianforte said Saturday in a release. “This order will help impacted communities get back on their feet and protect the lives, property, and resources of Montanans.”

Northern and central Montana saw widespread totals of over two inches of snow and rainfall, and localized amounts between 5 and 7 inches at the start of the month.

Beginning May 5, moderate to major flooding occurred due to heavy snowfall and rainfall causing damage to critical infrastructure in low lying and poor drainage areas.

The weather also caused significant damage to electrical infrastructure owned by rural cooperatives causing hundreds of customers in these areas to lose power, some for up to five days.

The Fort Belknap Indian Community, the Rocky Boy’s Agency, and Chouteau and Hill counties enacted emergency or disaster declarations in response to the conditions, with several of them reporting extensive damage to infrastructure.

The governor’s executive order may be found online at https://gov.mt.gov/Documents/GovernorsOffice/executiveorders/View?doc=EO_8-2024_Declaring_Flood_Disaster.pdf .