Tester Secures Nearly $2 Million for Stillwater County Flood Recovery

Funds to repair North Stillwater Road and protect against future damage

Following extreme flooding in June 2022, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured $1,998,589.49 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding to repair North Stillwater Road.

In December 2022, Tester was the only member of Montana’s congressional delegation who voted to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which fully funded FEMA’s flood recovery efforts in Montana including $916 million for the National Park Service and $355 million for additional FEMA recovery efforts after disasters. Tester also penned a letter supporting the major disaster declaration following the flooding, which was approved the next day.

“In recent years, flooding in Montana has had devastating impacts on farmers, ranchers, and small businesses – and communities affected by these disasters need the tools to recover,” said Tester. “Everyone in Montana deserves safe and reliable infrastructure, and I’m proud to have secured this funding to repair major damages to North Stillwater Road from the severe flooding last year and reduce future risk, to ensure more Montana roads are strong and resilient for years to come.”

The FEMA funding will be awarded to repair damage caused by the severe flooding in south-central Montana and rebuild the North Stillwater roadway and restore it to its pre-disaster design, function, and capacity. The project will also work to reduce future damages in the case of similar events by installing protection and mitigation technology.  

Following the federal disaster declaration in June of 2022, Tester fought to secure $988.4 million in federal funding for southern Montana, including Yellowstone National Park, to help local communities and economies recover from the catastrophic flooding. A timeline of additional resources secured by Tester specifically for Montana and Yellowstone National Park flood recovery efforts until now can be found here.

Tester has fought tirelessly to ensure that rural communities affected by the flooding have the resources they need to get back on their feet. In July 2022, Tester and his fellow members of the Montana delegation secured assurance from USFS that guides, outfitters, and small businesses would receive support and flexibility in finding alternative options to operate on public lands. And in June 2022, Tester and his colleagues successfully urged the Federal Highway Administration to take immediate action and provide much needed funding through the FWHA Emergency Relief Program to areas affected by flooding resulting in $3 million in funding for Montana roads and highways.