Obama Declares Disaster In Detroit-Area Flooding
DETROIT (WWJ) - President Obama issued a federal disaster declaration Thursday for Metro Detroit counties that suffered severe damage in last month's historic flooding.
Governor Snyder says it's good news for people still struggling to clean up.
"We look forward to working with the president and FEMA on getting assistance to the individuals that where most affected by this and for the public assistance," said Snyder.
The action makes available federal funding to those affected in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
According to a release from the White House, the aid supplements state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and flooding Aug. 11-13.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. The federal declaration also paves the way for public assistance to help cover the costs of local and state governments during emergency response and from damage to schools, roads and other public property.
Some areas received more than 6 inches of rain, which flooded basements, streets and freeways.
Forty percent of homes and businesses in Warren were damaged by the severe storms and flooding that took place mid-August.
Mayor Jim Fouts says he's pleased with the news of the declaration.
"There's hardly a day that goes by I don't have a call from a senior citizen, (or) from a handicapped person - someone that just financially
stressed out - and can not afford to pay for the basic necessities in order to be able live in that home," said Fouts.
Those feelings are echoed by Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter who is dealing with the same struggles from residents in his community.
"I think it's great news for the thousands of residents across southeast Michigan, including in Ferndale, who were affected by the devastation of this flood," said Coulter.
Coulter estimates that 65 percent of residents in Ferndale had some damage from the flooding. He says that figure is staggering:
"... it was in the tens of millions of dollars. It was of course $1.1 billion in our region something unlike anything we've experienced in our lifetime before," said Coulter.
More than 118,000 homes and businesses in southeastern Michigan were affected by the storms and flood, which caused more than one billion dollars in damage.
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