President Joe Biden announced Thursday that a major disaster existed within the state of Michigan following a series of severe storms, tornados and flooding that impacted much of Washtenaw and Wayne counties from June 25 to June 26, 2021.
The move comes after the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners (WCBC) called on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to declare a state of emergency for Washtenaw County following the floods to provide further support and relief for affected individuals.
Biden’s declaration of emergency in Michigan allows for federal assistance and funding to be made available to affected individuals. In the declaration, Biden wrote that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security named Scott A. Burgess as the Coordinating Officer for Federal Recovery Operations in the areas impacted by the severe weather.
“Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” the declaration reads.
The federal government is continuing to assess damage in other areas and counties outside of Wayne and Washtenaw Counties. Biden wrote that additional forms of assistance may be made available after assessments are complete.
Washtenaw or Wayne County residents and businesses who sustained damage during the storms can begin applying for federal assistance at http://www.disasterassistance.gov/ or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 for hearing-impaired individuals.
Summer News Editor George Weykamp can be reached at gweykamp@umich.edu.