Michigan Snow Emergency Update

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. Iosco County was added on Feb. 19, bringing the total to 30 counties eligible for emergency disaster assistance.
  
  
• The counties now eligible to apply for emergency assistance include: Alcona, Allegan, Arenac, Barry, Berrien, Cass, Crawford, Ionia, Iosco, 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 th...