Beltrami County leaders describe widespread damage after June 20–21 storm; no injuries reported

Beltrami County emergency officials updated the County Board on recovery from a severe storm system that moved into the Bemidji area the night of June 20 and into June 21, producing straight-line winds the National Weather Service later estimated at up to 120 mph and localized flash flooding.

At a board work session, Tom Barry, Beltrami County administrator, said the county activated the emergency operations center as calls overwhelmed 911 dispatch and partners were asked for mutual aid. “When it was over, about a 10 mile wide area of destruction was left that moved across southern Beltrami County,” Barry said.

The storm damaged homes and commercial buildings, downed large numbers of trees and caused immediate outages for more than 30,000 electric customers, county officials said. Officials opened a shelter at the Sanford Center, opened temporary waste-processing sites and extended demolition landfill hours to handle storm debris.

Chris Muller, Beltrami County emergency management director, said outdoor sirens and CodeRED alerts were used multiple times, and the county’s recent sheltering exercise helped staff stand up operations quickly. “We were prepared and nobody got hurt,” Muller said, describing the response as a validation of prior planning and training.

County Board Chair Grazvik declared a local state of emergency on June 21; the board ratified that declaration and extended it to 30 days on June 23. At the county’s request the governor visited the damage and on June 27 declared a peacetime emergency for Beltrami County to unlock additional state resources, officials said.

County and city public works, state partners and utilities worked to clear roads and restore power; the county reported many roads were made passable within 12 hours and that utility companies restored most customers within a week. Officials said there were dozens of reported gas leaks and extensive tree and structural damage but no reported deaths or injuries.

Why this matters: County leaders said the scale of damage and disruption will require months of recovery work and likely significant public expense. County staff are documenting damage for potential state and federal assistance and advising residents to document losses for insurance or disaster aid.

Looking ahead: Officials said preliminary damage surveys are underway and that recovery work will include ongoing debris management, building and infrastructure repairs, and assistance to displaced households. The board scheduled follow-up briefings on debris management, insurance and reimbursement processes.