Helping a community rebuild after a record-breaking tornado

In June 2025, a tornado swept through North Dakota and Minnesota charting a 12-mile path in just 20 minutes. With winds reaching speeds faster than 200 miles per hour, the National Weather Service classified it as an EF-5 tornado, the strongest to touch U.S. ground in 12 years. The tornado created power outages and upended structures, trees, vehicles and equipment in its path. Tragically, three people died during the storm.

CoBank worked with our local customers to respond quickly and effectively to the disaster. Close communication between CoBank's relationship managers and their customers enables us to be well-positioned to quickly learn about the damage on the ground and amplify the impacts of customer responses in their communities.

We supported the communities in Minnesota by granting $15,000 to the North Dakota Community Foundation and supported Minnesota communities with a $15,000 grant to the United Way of Bemidji, helping them rebuild stronger.

The gratitude expressed by our customers is invaluable, as it reiterates the importance of CoBank's timely allocation of disaster relief funds. “A big thank you to you and to CoBank for supporting our communities! What a wonderful gift that will go a long way helping so many in need following the storm,” said Jared Echternach, president and CEO, Beltrami Electric Co-op. CoBank knows it is critical to support our communities, especially when disaster strikes. “Unsolicited, CoBank reached out to us when they saw the devastating damage in Bemidji. It was just another reminder of why we love partnering with CoBank,” said Steve Grosser, vice chair and EVP, Midco.