Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has placed two more Michigan counties under a state of emergency due to severe flooding.
Iron and Marquette counties, both in the Upper Peninsula, join 38 other counties that have already had emergency declarations issued.
“This will help Marquette and Iron counties with ongoing recovery efforts,” Whitmer said in a statement. “As water levels across Michigan stabilize and drop, my administration will continue to work with local communities to get them what they need.”
Rain isn’t expected in northern Michigan again until Thursday but temperatures in the 50s and 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday will contribute to additional snowmelt, according to the National Weather Service. As a result, rivers are expected to continue to run high.
On April 10, Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Cheboygan County due to the ongoing threat of waters rising past the top of the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex. On Wednesday, she expanded the declaration to 32 other counties hit hard by severe weather. On Friday, she added five more counties, as well as the cities of Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo.
Prolonged rainfall and rapid snowmelt have caused flooding and elevated river levels, and straight-line winds and tornadoes have led to damage to roads, homes and property in areas across the state.
An emergency declaration authorizes the state to use all available resources to assist local response and recovery operations in affected areas.
It also allows communities to seek financial assistance to cover emergency response costs and repair public infrastructure damaged by the storms.
“I want to thank every first responder who stepped up to protect Michiganders and their property,” Whitmer said. “Let’s keep working together to recover and repair the damage.”
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Flooding emergencies declared for two more Michigan counties
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
