Storms

A three-day ice storm in northern Michigan early this spring left 145,000 people without power, some for weeks. Three months later, clean-up efforts are focused on millions of acres of the state's forests, where broken and fallen trees could affect the forest's long-term health.

Meteorologists are warning Michganders about possible storms over the weekend. They say the biggest threat is flooding and high winds.

Northern Michigan continues to grapple with debris and forestry management.

The Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan has reopened their COVID-19 Urgent Needs Fund to help communities while they recover from the historic ice storm.

WCMU's David Nicholas interviews Katy Xenakis-Makowski, superintendent of the Johannesburg-Lewiston school district, about recovering from the ice storm and the challenges her students face.

Organizations say they're working to restore the areas before the peak outdoor tourism season begins.

Sugar maples recover better than most species, according to a researcher at the University of Vermont.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is allocating over $1 million to pay for generators and food for counties hit by last month's ice storm that brought widespread destruction to the region.

State Rep. Parker Fairbairn's (R-Harbor Springs) bill would distribute $75 million in relief for northern Michigan. The spending would meet the matching requirements to qualify for $225 million of federal disaster aid, lawmakers say.

The species' hyper-specific jack pine habitat was in the path of the ice storm, but DNR officials say it was left mostly unscathed.