ND Watch Center

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North Dakota's Watch Center

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North Dakota's Watch Center

The 24/7/365 Watch Center proactively monitors public safety situations that could require a state response. This proactive stance ensures readiness in the time of need.

We coordinate resources across geographies and agencies, making sure the right people and equipment are deployed where they’re needed most, and without unnecessary duplications of efforts.  

By sharing our daily situational briefing with more than 150 public safety stakeholders at all levels of government, we’re helping everyone stay on the same page and support quick, effective responses.

When in doubt, report emergencies to 911. They’ll get the information to us. 

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Community Lifelines

FEMA identified categories that are essential to our way of life, they’re called Community Lifelines. Without these fully functional we would see severe impacts to public safety, economic stability, and government and business functions.

These categories give all emergency responders common language to understand the impacts of an incident and help us to prioritize not only response and recovery, but mitigation and preparedness as well.

In 2024, the Watch Center released a dashboard that is updated in real time as events, incidents, and weather conditions develop. 

Click here to view the ND Community Lifelines Dashboard
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The ND Watch Center keeps track of incidents reported by local, state, tribal, and federal partners.  

Each of these incidents has its own accompanying plans and checklists so that we’re ready to respond both quickly and effectively, keeping you and your neighbors as safe as possible.

Here are the things we monitor:

Any event (natural, technological, or adversarial) which has or may result in:
  • Multiple injuries, fatalities, or illnesses
  • Substantial damage to property and/or public infrastructure
  • Extensive loss of life (mass casualty) and/or property
  • Significant public and/or media interest
  • Public health issues/concerns
  • Evacuations or shelter-in-place
  • Shelter operations (people and/or animals)
  • Local/Tribal Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activation
  • Local/Tribal declaration
  • Search, rescue, and/or recovery efforts
  • Impacts to critical infrastructure (i.e. communications; health and medical; electrical, gas, water and sewage utilities; emergency first responder services, etc.)
  • Closure of/impacts to schools, large workplaces, large event venues
  • Road closures and/or other transportation concerns
Aircraft incidents involving aerial applicators and/or commercial aircraft 
Search and Rescue Operations (i.e. airplanes, boats, individuals, etc.) 
Train Derailments 
Incidents/accidents involving hazardous materials

Note: Hazmat spills/releases are all logged and contained in Hazconnect, the state’s Unified Spill Reporting System.

Requests for state assistance in response to a hazmat incident should be submitted to the Watch Center or through WebEOC, the state's emergency management reporting platform.

Suspicious packages, powders, activity, etc. 
Wildland Fires
  • Large fire (multiple mutual aid requests, fire unable to be controlled, structures/communities/critical infrastructure threatened or have the potential to do so, etc.)
  • Multiple fires during Red Flag Warning or high wind conditions
  • Evacuations have occurred or are being considered
  • Potential need for state or federal assistance
  • Deaths or injuries have occurred
Threats or other indicators received/detected regarding educational institutions (all levels), government buildings, large venues (sports, shopping, entertainment, etc.), large workplaces or other key critical infrastructure sectors 
Cyber network intrusions, vulnerabilities, patterns, or activity and/or threat indicators which could potentially affect public/private critical infrastructure sector resources and/or result in significant losses/impacts 
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