Gov. Gianforte Requests Individual Assistance for Montanans from FEMA

• June 23 2022

HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced the state of Montana has requested the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activate the Individual Assistance program under the presidential major disaster declaration due to the devastating impacts the recent flooding has had on Montanans’ private property and livelihoods.

“No Montanan should have to go through what our neighbors impacted by flooding have,” Gov. Gianforte said. “With access to the Individual Assistance program, Montanans who have had homes destroyed or property damaged by this disaster will have more resources to recover and rebuild.”

The governor’s request demonstrates the need for direct federal assistance to impacted homeowners and communities in Park, Carbon, and Stillwater counties. This includes initial damage assessments to primary residences and structures, as well as the severe impact on the region’s outdoor and tourism industries that employ many Montanans in the area.

Additionally, affected communities are primarily in areas that are not easily accessible or do not have alternate routes, making residents particularly susceptible to both immediate and long-term consequences of the disaster.

The federal aid that accompanies the activation of the Individual Assistance program will supplement state and local resources already at work to support Montanans impacted by the flooding.

On June 14, Gov. Gianforte formally declared a statewide disaster due to flooding after verbally authorizing the declaration Monday, June 13.

On June 16, President Biden approved the state’s request for a presidential major disaster declaration, which provided access to the Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant programs for Park, Stillwater, and Carbon counties.

The governor’s request to activate the Individual Assistance program can be found here.

###