WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI), and Elissa Slotkin (MI), as well as U.S. Representative Jack Bergman (MI-01), are calling on President Trump to declare a Major Disaster for northern Michigan following the severe winter storms in late March. In their letter, the lawmakers supported Governor Gretchen Whitmer's request for assistance for Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle, Kalkaska and Mackinac Counties, as well as the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. The National Weather Service has ranked this as one of the most significant ice storms ever recorded in northern Michigan.
“Starting on March 28, northern Michigan experienced extreme winter weather, including a prolonged period of freezing rain which resulted in severe ice accumulation,” the lawmakers wrote. “This caused widespread destruction to homes, businesses, and infrastructure, causing long-term power outages for hundreds of thousands of residents.”
The lawmakers continued: “The affected counties also have poverty and unemployment rates that exceed the national average, and seven of the counties have a higher unemployment rate than Michigan’s state average. The disaster area also includes a significant population of individuals who are older than 65 years of age, have disabilities, or receive retirement income. As you know, these factors indicate that these communities are particularly vulnerable after disasters and increases the need for federal assistance to ensure equitable recovery.”
State and federal officials estimate the storm caused $137 million in immediate response costs and inflicted severe damage to homes and infrastructure. Given the scale of the damage from this storm, and as the state continues to recover from three other state-declared disasters in the past two years, federal assistance is needed to help these Michigan communities fully recover.
“We commend the great work the federal government has done in helping Michigan recover from previous disasters,” continued the lawmakers. “However, in the absence of a federal disaster declaration, Michigan will not have the capacity to ensure these communities receive the aid they need to fully recover. We urge your speedy approval of this request.”
Text of the letter is available here.
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