The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced on Feb. 8, 2024, that President Joe Biden approved Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration in Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, Kent, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, and Wayne counties. The declaration now opens the application process for 60 days for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Individual Assistance (IA) for affected residents.
This FEMA assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of these disasters.
“This federal assistance that is so greatly appreciated will certainly be put to good use helping those impacted by these devasting storms that not only affected residents and businesses in the Canton community but also touched so many lives in nine counties throughout the state,” said Anne Marie Graham-Hudak, Canton Township supervisor. “With so much damage in our community, Canton township staff and my office have worked tirelessly to ensure that affected individuals have access to all available resources to assist their recovery from these unprecedented storms.”
On Aug. 23-24, 2023, residents and businesses in Wayne County and Canton Township, specifically, experienced storm-related damages from flooding, tornadoes, and straight-line winds that caused significant financial losses, for which Graham-Hudak applied for a State of Emergency with Canton Emergency Manager William Hayes and the Michigan State Police.
“We know that a lot of property damage occurred as a result of these natural disasters and Canton officials look forward to working with our federal partners to see that affected individuals can receive any available assistance after experiencing the effects of these major storms,” stated Hayes..
Federal officials now say that residents and business owners who sustained losses in these designated areas can begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App, which is available to use and download for free for both Android and iOS systems and can be downloaded on Google Play and from the Apple App Store.
Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service, or others, can give FEMA the number for that service. The deadline to apply for federal assistance is April 7, 2024.
Local Disaster Recovery Centers will be set up for applicants requiring in-person assistance from a FEMA representative and location information will be shared once details are finalized. For additional information, visit www.cantonmi.gov.
