IDAHO — President Donald Trump has approved federal disaster assistance for Idaho after a powerful December windstorm caused widespread damage across 10 northern counties.
The declaration covers Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Shoshone counties.
The storm, which hit Dec. 16–18, 2025, brought wind gusts of 80 to 90 miles per hour, downing trees and power lines and knocking out electricity to more than 100,000 customers. Several school districts closed because of dangerous travel conditions and outages. Officials also reported multiple injuries and one death when a tree fell on a home.
State and federal damage assessments later estimated losses at more than $8.3 million.
The approval allows local governments and eligible nonprofit groups in the affected counties to apply for federal Public Assistance funding to help repair damaged infrastructure and support recovery work.
