WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, applauded a decision from President Biden to activate the Public Assistance Program in Wayne and Ionia counties so the municipalities can receive additional funding from grants to ensure that residents can recover from heavy rainfall and flooding across in late June. The funding comes after Peters and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI) wrote a letter to the President supporting Governor Whitmer’s appeal of the Administration’s initial decision to deny additional assistance through the Public Assistance Program. The Senators have also asked President Biden to activate the program in Washtenaw County.
“We were deeply disappointed to see the denial of Governor Whitmer’s request to amend Major Disaster declaration FEMA-4607-DR to activate Public Assistance in Ionia, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties. We write in support of Michigan’s appeal of this denial and request a reconsideration of your decision,” wrote the Senators in their letter supporting Governor Whitmer’s appeal.
The Senators continued: “Impacted jurisdictions estimate that local costs for emergency response and repairsto public facilities and infrastructure exceed $120 million. While only a fraction of these costs will likely be eligible for reimbursement under the Public Assistance program, these estimates demonstrate the damage done to these communities. Moreover, these areas experienced extreme localized impacts, with Ionia County’s per capita loss reaching $10.54 and Wayne County’s reaching $14.18.”
Activating the Public Assistance Program will allow local governments in Wayne and Ionia counties receive grants to help remove debris, repair roads, bridges, and public buildings, and restore public utilities in communities that were devastated by the recent storms in June.
Peters has led several efforts to ensure communities in Southeast Michigan can recover from led to two deaths, damaged small businesses and thousands of homes, and devastated families. In September, he called on President Biden to grant an updated request to provide additional assistance for communities in Southeast Michigan that are still recovering.
As a part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, Peters also secured $500 million for a program he created to allow local governments access critical funds to build more resilient infrastructure and help mitigate the impact of natural disasters in a more cost-effective way.
Text Peters’ letter supporting Governor Whitmer’s appeal is copied below and available here.
Dear Mr. President:
Thank you again for your swift approval of Michigan’s Major Disaster declaration for the storms on June 25-26, 2021—and thank you for your approval of Michigan’s appeal to activate Individual Assistance in additional counties. However, we were deeply disappointed to see the denial of Governor Whitmer’s request to amend Major Disaster declaration FEMA-4607-DR to activate Public Assistance in Ionia, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties. We write in support of Michigan’s appeal of this denial and request a reconsideration of your decision.
At the time of the amended request, the documented preliminary damage assessments in the requested counties did not fully account for the scope of damages. Updated damage assessments verified $26,634,549 in total eligible costs—an additional $12,128,069 in damages compared to previous estimates. The updated assessments found a statewide per-capita loss of $2.69, which significantly exceeds the $1.55 per-capita impact indicator threshold for activation of the Public Assistance program.
Additionally, impacted jurisdictions estimate that local costs for emergency response and repairs to public facilities and infrastructure exceed $120 million. While only a fraction of these costs will likely be eligible for reimbursement under the Public Assistance program, these estimates demonstrate the damage done to these communities. Moreover, these areas experienced extreme localized impacts, with Ionia County’s per capita loss reaching $10.54 and Wayne County’s reaching $14.18. Over the past year, Michigan has responded to an unprecedented number of disasters and emergencies, with the Governor declaring five additional state of emergencies in the weeks after the June flooding, and a total of six state declarations within a 10 week span over the summer.
We commend all the great work of federal, state, and local officials in providing much needed assistance to date. However, communities affected by the flood are still trying to recover and need additional federal resources to do so. We urge you to accept the Governor’s appeal and provide this assistance so Michigan can recover from these devastating storms. Thank you for your consideration of this request.
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