Michigan counties affected by last August’s storms and tornadoes are receiving funding from the state. More than $4.2 million has been earmarked for seven counties including Ingham, Eaton and Ionia.
Lauren Thompson-Phillips is a spokesperson with the state Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division.
While individuals were eligible to receive assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, Thompson-Phillips says Michigan counties didn’t qualify for federal public assistance following the storms.
But, she says, because Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency, that opened the door for funding to come through via Section 19 grants.
“This money from the state can then be used by the state can then be used to help municipalities, communities, local government, public entities and communities rebuild now some of the damage caused by specifically tornadoes in Eaton, Ingham and Ionia," she said.
The funding is part of a larger grant of nearly $11 million from the state’s Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund which is being distributed among 17 counties from both the upper and lower peninsulas.
Last August, storms brought heavy rain and tornadoes to parts of Ingham and Eaton and surrounding counties.
Lauren Thompson-Phillips says funds can be used to help pay for a number of things to help communities recover.
“This money can be used to pay for overtime for first responders, police, and fire departments, public workers, as they were out cleaning up in the aftermath of the storm,” she said.
Thompson-Phillips said it's not a guarantee that all local communities get all the money they request. But she said all pending requests for disasters around Michigan over the past 16 months were fully funded by the state.
