Governor: Flood didn't spur need for National Guard deployment

Noem's office says military reinforcements would have been considered if local governments requested more assistance

Gov. Kristi Noem gives an update on flood response during a press conference in Yankton on Tuesday. (Governor’s Office/Youtube)

Calling in the South Dakota National Guard to natural disaster zones relies heavily on the requests of local governments on the front lines.

And in the case of the floods that have devastated southeast South Dakota over the last week, military reinforcements were never requested.

That’s according to the office of Gov. Kristi Noem, which Thursday defended the Republican governor’s decision not to use the state guard in the lead-up to this week’s flooding or following the catastrophic weather event.

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