HELENA – Governor Steve Bullock Wednesday declared a flooding emergency for all of Montana.
“We want to be fully prepared so that our counties and tribal areas can have all the resources they need, as we deal with both warming temperatures and the real potential of flooding,” said Bullock.
According to the Governor’s Office, much of the state has experienced above average snowfall and snowpack over the winter and recent warm weather and rain is beginning to release that snowpack.
The Governor’s order updates a previous order and provides state support for local and tribal jurisdictions in need. It also allows the Governor to mobilize the Montana National Guard if needed.
The Governor’s Office says the State Emergency Coordination Center has already received numerous declarations of emergencies from local and tribal jurisdictions.
The first large floods of the Spring began in mid-April when seven north-central Montana counties, the Fort Belknap Reservation and the town of Chester saw flooding.
Since then, however, the Clark Fork River has flooded a Missoula neighborhood, the Milk River near Glasgow is flooding, and Lewis and Clark County has seen some small stream flooding.
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service had much of southwest and central Montana under a flood advisory due to anticipated temperatures above seasonal averages and a minor weekend storm that could lead to excessive snowpack melt.
