Pete Hoekstra

Disaster Assistance

Severe storms passed through portions of West Michigan during the evening and early morning hours of June 19^th and 20^th.  My office has worked with relevant authorities at the local, state and federal level to ensure that the process moves forward. 

Local Emergency Management authorities have been performing admirably since the events and continue to perform damage assessments in order to report them to the Michigan State Police’s Emergency Management Division as timely and comprehensively as possible. 

When the local authorities report the assessed damage up to the state level, the Governor will make a determination as to whether to issue a State of Emergency.  At this time, a state of emergency has NOT yet been declared by the Governor's office.  Until such time, no federal assistance is available.   It is only upon request by the Governor and after the subsequent Presidential declaration of disaster that federal assistance is triggered. 

As set forth in the Stafford Act, a governor may seek a presidential declaration by submitting a written request to the president through the appropriate FEMA regional office. Using information gathered during public damage assessments, the governor certifies that the combined local and state resources are insufficient and that the situation is beyond their recovery capabilities.

A thorough explanation of the Disaster Declaration Process is available here.

Those affected by the storms and flooding are encouraged to catalog expenses incurred by damage caused. The federal government does provides tax relief to individuals on uninsured loses because of disasters. For more information, please consult a certified tax professional and visit here.

Please check this website for further updates on disaster assistance.