Trump, FEMA Approve Two Major Disaster Declarations for Wild December Weather. Valley County included in Declaration.

Mother Nature was not kind to Montana during the holidays last year.

Two extreme weather systems socked Montana, causing extensive damage. Late Friday night, President Donald J. Trump and the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved two major disaster declarations for the Treasure State for two separate weather events.

FEMA announced the federal disaster assistance for the state for severe rain storms and flooding that occurred from Dec. 9 through 11 in Lincoln County — the only county to be eligible for this particular declaration.

Heavy rains pounded the northwest county, washing out bridges and roads and making parts of the area inaccessible to vehicle traffic temporarily.

FEMA says that federal funding assistance in both declarations is available to state, eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the storms and flooding.

The second FEMA declaration encompasses a larger area of Montana that was damaged a week later on Dec. 17 and 18. Those areas saw the twin wallop of severe winter storms coupled with straight-line winds.

For example, in Park City, high winds ripped the roof off a school building, contaminating the area and surrounding neighborhood because of asbestos materials that became loose when the roof was torn from the building. A large remediation effort swung into action and the abatement and construction was complete, as students were either placed in remote locations or learned online.

The list of counties eligible for assistance from this event are: Big Horn, Blaine, Broadwater, Carbon, Dawson, Flathead, Garfield, Glacier, Golden Valley, Judith Basin, Lake, Lincoln, McCone, Mineral, Missoula, Park, Phillips, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Ravalli, Rosebud, Sanders, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Valley and Wheatland counties and the Blackfeet Nation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Fort Belknap Indian Community, Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes and Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

FEMA said that additional funding designations may be made a later date if requested by the state, or if federal official find that more disaster relief is warranted.

Edwin J. Martin has been named the federal coordinating officer for both FEMA declarations.