The first steps to relief after last month’s flood are slated to begin in Wayne County on Thursday, July 8. Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division, U.S. Small Business Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local officials will begin damage assessments as a result of Detroit’s historic flooding in late June.
The assessments serve as the beginning steps in the federal disaster declaration process. Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Wayne County after major expressways, neighborhoods, and more than 1,000 cars were found underwater as a result of the rainfall.
FEMA will be canvassing affected areas and assessing the damage done to homes, number of homes affected, insurance coverage, and homeownership rates of the affected homes. The results of the assessment will be shared with the state of Michigan who will ultimately decide if the damage caused is beyond local and state resources. Federal assistance can only occur if the state files a formal declaration after the results of the assessment.
Assessments for public assistance will also begin this week via phone interviews, virtual meetings, and some site inspections.
For more information about the declaration process, visit the FEMA website.Stay connected with Detroit Metro Times. Subscribe to our newsletters, and follow us on Google News, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit.
