Following an emergency declaration released by Governor Mark Gordon, Laramie County Commissioners issued their emergency declaration for the county.  County Commissioners met with the Wyoming Department of Homeland Security (WOHS) and city leaders to discuss the declaration option.

The next step is for the county to submit a resolution that will be sent to the Federal Management Agency (FEMA) to see if Laramie qualifies for aid.  The county’s damages need to be at least $357,000, and the state of Wyoming would have to endure $1 million in damages to qualify for federal aid.

“This kind of puts us in a good position or a better position going forward to request resources from the state to mitigate any additional problems that occur,” said Gunnar Malm, the Commissioner Chairman.

Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins also gave an update on the snow removal from city streets. “Today, we have 26 front-end loaders that we’ve been able to hire from the private sector to get out into our city streets.”

Mayor Collins said the crews had doubled their efforts to remove the snow but, for residential areas and alleys, that is not a service the city provides.

The declaration for affected areas of the state-issued by Gov. Gordon allows the director of the WOHS to mobilize state and federal personnel, resources, and organizations to address the impacts of the storm. It also directs the Adjutant General, in consultation with WOHS and the Governor, to deploy, if needed, the Wyoming National Guard to areas of the state that have been identified for emergency assistance.

No Guard members have been activated so far.

“The scale and intensity of this storm have caused severe impacts to our transportation infrastructure and agriculture producers,” Gov. Gordon said. “As the scope of the situation unfolds and with the possibility of flooding as temperatures warm, it’s imperative we make all our resources available to respond to the needs in our communities.”

The snowstorm dropped more than 30 inches of snow to southeast Wyoming, closing Interstates 25 and 80, causing power outages and leading to the closure of city, county, and state offices and school districts for multiple days.