Solar panels inoperable.
Via KRTV:
Governor Steve Bullock issued an executive order on Friday declaring that a state disaster exists on the Blackfeet Nation and in Glacier County and Lincoln County, and authorized the National Guard and expenditure of funds to assist with community health and safety.
In a press release, Bullock said, “This winter storm has proven extremely damaging to roadways, railways, and Montanans relying on access to critical community infrastructure. Thanks to strong partnerships at the local and state levels, communities are keeping their residents safe as record amounts of snow move through our state.”
The declaration is in response to a winter storm that dropped between three and six feet of snow in many communities between February 3 and February 7.
The heavy snowfall created “extraordinary conditions” related to opening and maintaining state, county, local and tribal roads, and forced the temporary closure of passenger and freight rail operations in Flathead and Glacier Counties due to avalanches.
State resources have been requested to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of residents and stranded travelers, and provide access to critical community infrastructure including hospitals, food and energy supplies, schools and local government offices, and public safety operations.
St. Mary in Glacier County officially received 64 inches of snow between February 4th and February 7th; the previous four-day record for that location was 43 inches in November 1990.
Babb – which is several miles north of Browning – reported 60 inches of snow during the four-day event; while that figure has not yet been designated as “official,” it far exceeds the previous four-day record of 24 inches in March 1954.