Federal and state funds are helping Grand Electric Cooperative pay for repairs from damage caused in an early May snowstorm that felled more than 3,000 power poles in northwestern South Dakota.

Officials say $6 million in federal funds and nearly $850,000 in state funds are available.

Jerry Reisenhauer, Grand Electric's general manager, says the money will be used to pay back a $5 million line of credit. Federal Emergency Management Agency funds help pay 75 percent of the eligible costs.

But it's not over yet, according to Reisenhauer.

"We still have several projects that we're working on. We have a number of poles that need to be straightened, a lot of lines that need to be re-sagged and brought back into operating condition," he said.

"We will be working on this process for another year, possibly longer, before our system is back to pre-storm conditions."

It took more than two weeks to restore power to all areas. More than 1,000 customers lost power during the storm, which included high winds.