The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is allocating over $1 million in aid to pay for generators and food for counties in northern Michigan hit by last month's catastrophic ice storm. The move is the latest in the effort to provide disaster relief funding for the region.
The aid will provide $72,000 to 12 counties to pay for 30 generators in every county. The counties include Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinaw, Montmorency Oscoda, Otsego and Presque Isle.
In addition, $200,000 dollars will be allocated for food aid.
This comes as lawmakers push for a bill for $75 million in relief. That legislation, lawmakers say, would meet the matching requirements for $225 million in federal aid.
Bryce Tracy of the Mackinac County Emergency Department says the county is already preparing to apply for state and federal reimbursements.
“They (Mackinac County) did use emergency funding for fuel operations, response," Tracy said. [We] did subcontract some people in to help clean up debris, from infrastructure points like roads right-of-way, road areas, around utility service and stuff like that,” he said. “We're compiling that information now.
“We actually have an initial joint assessment review going on with folks from the state Emergency Management Office of the Michigan State Police and also with FEMA starting next week,” he added.
Some county road commissions, and other officials have exhausted much of their yearly spending to clean up roads. That’s according to Denise Donohue, CEO of the County Road Association of Michigan.
“If there isn't some kind of disaster relief forthcoming, yes, this could equal a year or two of road projects,” she said.
Donohue said county road commissions have been hard at work removing trees, so first responders and linesmen can do their jobs. Road commissions are also likely to spend more to remove trees from right-of-way zones and culverts.
“They don't have a budget set aside for such a disaster as this. I mean, everybody, I'm sure, has somewhat of a reserve fund, but nobody had this kind of money sitting around in anticipation of a disaster,” Donohue said. "We run very lean due to the road funding situation, and this will most definitely knock some projects back, especially if we don't get the FEMA disaster funds.”
