Michigan: Governor Whitmer Appeals FEMA Denial to Add Macomb and Oakland Counties to Major Disaster Declaration
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September 24, 2021

Contact: press@michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer Appeals FEMA Denial to Add Macomb and Oakland Counties to Major Disaster Declaration

LANSING, Mich. - Governor Gretchen Whitmer today announced the State of Michigan is appealing the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) denial to expand the Major Disaster Declaration in southeast Michigan to include households in Macomb and Oakland counties. The request was made following heavy rainfall and flooding across southeast Michigan in late June.

"The impact of these storms has been widespread, affecting multiple counties in Michigan. We know, nearly three months later, many families still need help recovering, which is why I'm appealing their decision to get the resources that Michiganders need right now," said Governor Whitmer. "We will not stop working with our federal partners to ensure our communities get assistance to recover from the damage caused by these unprecedented events. And I will continue to advocate for the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill so that we can build more resilient infrastructure to the effects of severe storms."

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The appeal follows the completion of additional joint preliminary damage assessments with federal and local officials to validate the extent of damage to homes across Macomb and Oakland counties.

If added to the federal declaration, households affected by the flooding in Macomb and Oakland counties would be eligible to apply for assistance to include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help people and businesses recover.

On June 25 and 26, heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding in southeast Michigan, damaging infrastructure and private property. On June 26, Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Wayne County, later adding Huron, Ionia and Washtenaw Counties. By declaring a state of emergency, the governor made available all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery efforts in the designated area. On July 13, Governor Whitmer sent a letter to President Biden requesting that he declare an emergency disaster for the state of Michigan. On July 15, President Biden issued a disaster declaration allowing individual assistance for Wayne and Washtenaw counties. On August 27, Governor Whitmer requested Oakland and Macomb Counties be included in that disaster declaration. On September 2, FEMA denied that request.

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To read the appeal letter, click here.

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