President Trump approved $32.1 million dollars in federal disaster relief for Michigan after severe weather ravaged the state this spring.
Heavy rain and snowmelt caused historic flooding in central and northern Michigan that washed out roads and caused several dams to fail.
Storms and deadly tornados hit parts of western Michigan in April, killing four people and damaging infrastructure.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to the Trump administration at the start of June asking Trump to declare a Major Disaster, that would activate individual assistance programs through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (or FEMA) across 37 counties.
Presque Isle County Emergency Manager, Tim Pritchard said residents call his office weekly, asking if they will get federal aid.
“There are people that are going to be tearing their homes down," Pritchard said. "There's going to be people that might have just a few thousand dollars of damage in a crawl space and then people that had full that have already spent $50 thousand.”
FEMA initially denied the Governors to ask for individual assistance for relief for those storms, but she appealed that decision last week.
It is not yet clear which counties the $32 million announced by Trump via Truth Social, will help.
But U.S. Congressman Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet) posted on Facebook thanking Trump for the relief.
State Representative Cam Cavitt (R-Cheboygan) also thanked the president in a written statement to WCMU, saying that the storms have had devastating effects in northern Michigan.
“This critical funding will provide much-needed assistance to local governments as we repair damaged infrastructure, restore essential services, and support residents working to rebuild their homes and lives,” Cavitt said.
