Wyoming Governor Requests Disaster Declaration After Snowstorms
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon is seeking a disaster declaration for five counties where agriculture producers were impacted by powerful early-season snowstorms, his office announced Friday.
In a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Gordon requested the declaration for Laramie, Goshen, Platte, Park and Big Horn counties.
"The scale, severity and timing of freezing and snow events that occurred in October were devastating to crops, particularly sugar beets," Gordon's office said in a news release. "While producers did their best to maximize their harvest, damage from the storms was severe."
The first storm occurred Oct. 8-9, and the second moved through Oct. 13-14.
"These two storms were separated by warm weather which further exacerbated damages," Gordon wrote to Perdue.