IEDC Makes Technical Assistance Visits to the Dakotas Following FEMA Disaster Declarations

Earlier this year, IEDC staff and expert volunteers made post-disaster recovery technical assistance trips to North and South Dakota. Both states are especially prone to severe storms and flooding: South Dakota has had eight disasters declared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) since 2016, and North Dakota has seen six flooding-related FEMA disaster declarations since 2017. IEDC traveled to McKenzie County, North Dakota through public assistance funds made available by FEMA by a 2019 disaster declaration. McKenzie County was among the most heavily impacted counties in the state by severe flooding in 2019. Ipswich, South Dakota, another community visited by IEDC, has experienced severe flooding and flash flooding during recent periods of heavy rain and rapid snow melting. Notably, during the winter of 2020-2021, Ipswich experienced a prolonged city-wide power outage resulting from a winter storm.

Ipswich has seen more development than neighboring communities in recent years, but still struggles with business attraction and retention. City officials have expressed concern that local businesses are leaving the town’s main street, and a major employer in the city closed in May. The city has, however, completed infrastructural improvements to its streets and is in the planning process of improving its drainage system to mitigate its vulnerability to flooding. Ipswich also weathered the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic well, with unemployment peaking at only 4 percent in the county in which Ipswich is located. The Northeast Council of Governments (NECOG), Ipswich’s designated Economic Development District, developed a comprehensive strategy for disaster resilience and recovery for implementation between 2019 and 2023.

McKenzie County, North Dakota has seen substantial development in recent years, building a new high school, community center, an airport expansion, and a natural gas processing facility. McKenzie County did experience severe economic impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, however. Nearly a third McKenzie County’s economic output comes from the mining and energy extraction industries. With the crash in energy prices during the early phase of the pandemic, the County saw a significant economic contraction. Although prices have since risen, McKenzie County hopes to diversify its economy to bolster its resilience to energy price volatility. The new investments and assets from the County should help toward this goal.