President Biden Responds, Natural Disaster Declaration Approved in Michigan

August saw one of the worst nights on record for Michigan storms when 7 tornadoes touched down, thousands lost power, homes and businesses flooded, and 5 people tragically lost their lives. Since then, home and business owners have struggled to recover after their lives were flipped on their heads.

Thankfully, they are finally getting some support.

Natural Disaster Declaration (NDD)

Natural disasters aren't very commonplace in Michigan, so if you're like me and had no idea that an official declaration was needed to have a natural disaster, I'll quickly break down what this means. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines a natural disaster declaration as "any natural event...that the President believes has caused damage of such severity that it is beyond the combined capabilities of state and local governments to respond." An NDD allows the state to acquire federal funds to assist with recovering from whatever event the President deemed a disaster.

How To Get Relief

The White House released a statement going into detail about who would be able to receive this relief, as well as how to get it.  Residents who live in the following counties and sustained losses can apply for assistance: Eaton, Ingham, Kent, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, and Wayne. Go to www.DisasterAssistance.gov, call 800-621-FEMA (3362), or you can apply using the FEMA App.

Gretchen Whitmer had this to say following the announcement:

Michiganders have been working hard to recover from the tornadoes and storms that caused so much damage across the state this summer...we will get the resources we need to support impacted families, businesses, and communities. Michiganders are tough. We will get through this the way we always have—together.