CHICAGO – Just 30 days after President Joe Biden declared a major disaster for Washtenaw and Wayne counties following the June 25-26 tornadoes and flooding, more than $109 million in federal assistance has been provided by FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to support Southeast Michigan’s disaster recovery.
“FEMA and our federal partners are working closely with the state of Michigan to provide help to disaster survivors as quickly as possible,” said Scott Burgess, FEMA’s federal coordinating officer for the Michigan disaster recovery operation. “Federal assistance is just one part of the whole community effort to support southeast Michigan’s recovery from June’s storms and flooding.”
As of August 15, 2021, southeast Michigan’s recovery includes:
More than $78 million in Individual Assistance (IA) program grants awarded to nearly 27,000 homeowners and renters in Washtenaw and Wayne counties. These grants help pay for uninsured and underinsured losses and storm-related damage, including:
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- More than $65 million in FEMA housing grants to help pay for home repair, home replacement and rental assistance for temporary housing.
- $13 million in Other Needs Assistance grants to help pay for personal property replacement and other serious storm-related needs—such as moving and storage fees and medical and dental expenses.
- More than $30.5 million in long-term, low-interest disaster loans from SBA for homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and non-profit organizations to repair, rebuild or replace disaster-damaged physical property and to cover economic injury from the June storms and flooding.
In addition, over $650,000 in claims have been paid to homeowners insured by the National Flood Insurance Program.
The state and FEMA have staffed and operated five Disaster Recovery Centers plus three FEMA Document Drop-off Centers, which provide one-on-one assistance to survivors. The centers have tallied nearly 9,500 visits by survivors.
In addition, FEMA has sent Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams to storm-impacted neighborhoods in Washtenaw and Wayne counties. These teams visit homes, businesses and nonprofit organizations to help residents register for assistance, identify and address immediate and emerging needs, and make referrals to other local, state, and voluntary agencies for additional support.
To date, DSA personnel have visited more than 20,300 homes and nearly 300 businesses; they have interacted with more than 7,600 survivors and have registered more than 1,150 households for FEMA’s Individual Assistance program.
Federal funding is just one source of help for survivors. Voluntary agencies are also actively involved in Michigan’s recovery, and the inserted graphic highlights some of their important work in this disaster.
For more information about voluntary organizations active in southeast Michigan and ways to support their efforts, visit www.michiganvoad.org . For even more information about Michigan’s recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4607.
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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. Reasonable accommodations, including translation and American Sign Language interpreters via Video Relay Service will be available to ensure effective communication with applicants with limited English proficiency, disabilities, and access and functional needs. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 (including 711 or Video Relay). If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585.
FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.