Millions of dollars from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are flowing into northern Michigan counties to help homeowners and renters recover from the historic flooding in April.
According to FEMA, more than 500 applications in the region have been approved so far for individual assistance, in the form of grants that pay for home repair, home replacement and rental assistance for temporary housing. Nearly $5 million has gone to counties in northwestern lower Michigan counties.
People in affected counties can still apply for funds until the end of the month.
Some county emergency coordinators reported numbers of applicants and amounts that differ from FEMA’s tally. IPR is reporting the latest numbers from speaking with local county officials; discrepancies could be attributable to updates in the process, as more people apply and are approved for aid.
How to apply for aid:
1. Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
2. Call 800-621-3362.
3. Visit a Michigan Disaster Recovery Center near you.
Deadline to apply is Aug. 31
Wexford County had the highest number of approved homeowners and renters in the region at 171 applicants, totaling $2.8 million in aid, according to Erik King, county emergency manager. The county saw the second-highest approvals and total amount of aid money in the state after Saginaw County.
King said 171 applicants is “pretty good numbers” considering the county’s initial assessment of about 300 damaged homes.
Rapid rainfall, snow melt and frozen ground combined in an unfortunate totality in April, said Brandon Perry, interim emergency management coordinator for Grand Traverse County.
“It was all-encompassing, everything fell in place in the wrong way for these impacts not only in Grand Traverse County, but throughout the region,” he said.
Flood damages aren’t typically covered by standard homeowner’s insurance. That’s where FEMA can help, in the form of one-time grants to homeowners and renters. “Flooding is a different animal,” Perry said.
According to Perry, 72 applicants in the county received FEMA support totaling $714,274 as of Aug. 10. With this being the first federal disaster declaration he’s worked through, Perry can’t say whether this was a “substantial” amount of money or not for the number of applications approved.
But he has been happy with FEMA’s quick response.
“They seem to be moving pretty quickly on getting residents the funding and support they need,” he said.
Benzie County emergency coordinator Rebecca Hubers hopes more people across the region will apply for aid.
“If they were impacted, they should just check in. Apply. Don’t restrict yourself from being eligible for something,” she said. Residents can appeal any denials, as well.
Eight applicants in Benzie County received funding, totaling $18,587, according to Hubers.
“Yes, the government is never going to make people whole. But I would think that just having a little money given back, because you’re eligible to receive it, helps,” she said.
In Kalkaska County, emergency manager Doug Pratt said 51 applicants have received FEMA money so far, adding up to more than $334,000.
Some counties, including Kalkaska, are also eligible for public assistance from FEMA, which gives out grants to governments to reimburse infrastructure repairs after a disaster.
Pratt said the process for those reimbursements is still ongoing, but he’s “100% confident” the county will receive funding for the majority of its repairs. Most road repairs are complete or nearly done, he said.
FEMA public assistance reimburses up to 75% of the cost for repairs up to “light” condition and not “improved” condition, Pratt said.
Any remaining costs to upgrade infrastructure, such as wider culverts to support heavier water flow, will likely be paid for by the county — upgrades, Pratt said, that the road commission might deem necessary, especially if the previous standard failed.
“Potentially, this could happen again. If we make those changes now, that might save the county money in the future,” he said.
Pratt said flooding will be part of the county’s emergency planning going forward.
“I plan for tornadoes, I plan for ice storms now. Flooding wasn’t even a thought on my mind. I thought our soil was sandy enough that we didn’t have issues with that,” he said.
Perry in Grand Traverse County said they are also evaluating roads, drainage systems, culverts and land use to prepare for future flooding.
Research shows that climate change could fuel more extreme precipitation during the winter and spring transition months, conditions that led to April’s flooding.
“Flooding is going to happen again. We live in an area surrounded by water,” Perry said. “We want to build a community that’s resilient to impacts associated with the flooding.”
This story is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
