LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ)- The eight U.P. counties that experienced damages during last spring’s floods are eligible for state emergency assistance to help with repairs. Following the denial of an appeal for federal funds last month, the counties are still looking for help with over $10 million worth of damages.
Just last week, nine countries downstate (Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, Kent, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, and Wayne counties) were awarded FEMA funds for Individual Assistance.
Lt. Steve Derusha, the Upper Peninsula’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Coordinator explained that there’s a different set of criteria for Individual and Public Assistance with FEMA. The U.P. counties filed for Public Assistance, which in this case Lt. Derusha said has an $18 million threshold for damages that wasn’t met, leaving local municipalities with an excess of damages they still need to address.
U.P. Representative Jenn Hill said that a lot of the repairs needed deal with roads and culverts. In many areas, upgrades are necessary to cope with the increasing instances of flooding across the peninsula.
“That is what really leaves us in this unfortunate situation. There really are federal rules that need to change to take into account that we’re getting more extreme snows, more extreme rain storms,” Representative Hill said. “We’re going to see consequences of that. but then the federal emergency management won’t pay for the upgrades for the storms we know are coming.”
According to Michgan’s Emergency Management Act, upon the declaration of a state of disaster or emergency, the governor can authorize funds from the state disaster and emergency contingency fund.
The amount is dependent on population and budget, with $500,000 available for counties where the population is between 25,000 and 75,000, and $250,000 for those under 25,000 or 10% of the total annual operating budget for the preceding fiscal year of the county or municipality, whichever is less.
Through the act, Marquette, Houghton, and Dickinson County could receive up to $500,000 each, while Ontonogan, Gogebic, Alger, Iron, and Baraga would be eligible for $250,000 each. However, the state relief is contingent upon the counties exhausting their available resources first. Representative Hill says conversations about getting relief to those counties still in need of repairs are still ongoing.
