Michigan Snow Emergency Update
Release Date: February 8, 1999
Release Number: 3137-03
» More Information on Michigan Winter Storm
CHICAGO, Ill. -- FEMA Region V officials are providing additional updated information on the Michigan Snow Emergency Declaration. The following details will help local officials and Michigan residents understand how the federal assistance process works for this situation.
- FEMA was in contact with the Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division, (MSP/EMD), when the snow began to accumulate Saturday, Jan. 2.
- On Friday morning, Jan. 15, Gov. John Engler asked for emergency federal assistance for the severe winter storm, which posed a threat to public health and safety in Wayne County including the City of Detroit.
- President Clinton approved an Emergency Declaration January 27, after reviewing FEMA's analysis of the request. FEMA coordinates the federal response when a disaster is declared and provides federal funds released by the President's declaration to the affected state.
- Director Witt designated Wayne County including the City of Detroit eligible for federal funding to pay 75 percent of the eligible cost of emergency protective measures. This area had met the assistance criteria by recording "record" or "near record" levels of snowfall and the event was of such severity and magnitude that the response requirements exceeded state and local capabilities.
- Twenty-eight counties were added to the emergency declaration on Feb. 4, after FEMA officials reviewed additional snowstorm information from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and other sources.
- The counties now eligible to apply for emergency assistance include: Alcona, Allegan, Arenac, Barry, Berrien, Cass, Crawford, Ionia, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lenawee, Macomb, Marquette, Mecosta, Montmorency, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oakland, Oceana, Ogemaw, Osceola, Oscoda, Otsego, Ottawa, St. Joseph, Van Buren, Washtenaw and Wayne.
- The emergency declaration is designed to supplement state and local recovery efforts which have been ongoing -- that is to provide reimbursement to state agencies, counties, cities, towns or authorized public entities, and certain private nonprofit organizations, who performed specific emergency snow removal activities.
- Under the emergency declaration, federal disaster assistance is not available to individuals or business owners.
- FEMA will provide reimbursement through MSP/EMD to governmental units, communities, and certain nonprofit organizations for 75 percent of the total eligible costs of snow removal equipment operations, contract personnel and equipment, and overtime for permanent personnel. The State and/or local governments will assume the remaining non-federal share of costs.
- Related emergency protective measures such as sanding and salting, search and rescue, shelter operations, and police and fire departments' response may also be eligible for reimbursement.
- FEMA will provide emergency funding for a 48-hour period. Applicants will designate the 48-hour period to be used for their respective snow removal assistance.
- Any request for extending the 48-hour time period for snow assistance will be evaluated on a county-by-county basis. The request must demonstrate that a record snowfall was exceeded by an extraordinary amount, or additional significant snowfall followed the record or near-record event, or extraordinary wind driven snow/drifting occurred in the requested county.
- Potential eligible applicants will be contacted in the next several days to establish an Applicants' Briefing schedule. These information briefings are designed to walk applicants through the assistance process. State and federal representatives will explain what costs are eligible; how to report equipment/personnel information; payment procedures; and answer any questions that applicant's may have.
- MSP/EMD and FEMA stress the importance of communities' record keeping in this type of declaration where federal funds will reimburse specific costs. Having accurate, well-documented equipment and personnel time records will speed up the reimbursement process.
- Following the Applicants' Briefing, an individual point of contact will be identified for each applicant.
- Officials who have immediate questions should contact their local emergency management director who will coordinate their request with MSP/EMD and FEMA.
- Director Witt named Lawrence L. Bailey, of FEMA's regional office in Chicago, to coordinate federal recovery operations in the state. FEMA will have approximately 20 personnel assigned to work in partnership with MSP/EMD and individual community officials.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 02-Dec-2003 09:57:09