North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum declares state of emergency after ice storm

Dec. 29 (UPI) -- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum declared a statewide state of emergency Friday as a severe ice storm over the Christmas holiday caused tens of thousands of people to lose power.

Freezing rain started on Dec. 25 and continued through the 26th, creating layers of ice on roadways and electrical power lines and related infrastructure.

KXNET reports that 20,000 residents still were without power Friday.

The executive order activates the North Dakota State Emergency Operations Plan, which coordinates statewide emergency resources to respond to the emergency.

"The state of North Dakota has experienced a near record-setting December with above normal temperatures, producing a winter storm that generated snow, rain, freezing rain and high winds, which resulted in significant impacts," Burgum said in Executive Order 2023-10.

The governor said the weather conditions would affect North Dakota agriculture, and traffic has been disrupted on I-29 and I-94.

"All state agencies are ordered to provide response resources and capabilities pursuant to their respective responsibilities detailed in the SDEOP," Burgum wrote in the order.