March 7, 2023 |
Photo – Governor Mark Gordon – Bigfoot99 File Photo
Governor Mark Gordon has submitted his request for a Secretarial Disaster designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) request for a Secretarial disaster.
In his letter requesting financial help, Governor Gordon noted that Wyoming’s winter season started early, and the culminating impacts of sustained cold, wind, and snowfall have caused significant distress to the livestock industry across the state. Access to traditional winter grazing resources has become dire because many ranch, county, and BLM roads are drifted shut and, even when cleared, re-drift because of high winds.
The letter details just how bad the first two months of the year have been. Data obtained through the National Weather Service’s event tracking system reveals that 66.5 percent of the time, from January 1 to February 27, Wyoming was under some combination of Winter Storm Warnings, Blizzard Warnings, Winter Weather Advisories, and High Wind Warnings–far outpacing any other state in the lower 48.
Underscoring the need for federal assistance, Governor Gordon’s letter noted, “State, county, local, and individual resources have been deployed and are being shared between entities for snow removal, but there is too much volume and wind to keep roads open and passable to gain access to livestock.” Additionally, Governor Gordon’s administration has been working closely with our local Farm Service Agency office to identify the areas of greatest impact and corresponding needs of the ag community.
