It's been more than two months since several tornadoes tore through the city of Portage, leaving a trail of destruction and heartbreak in its wake. But just as residents are starting to rebuild, they received a crushing blow: FEMA has denied Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's request for federal assistance.
According to a FEMA spokesperson, the severity of the damages sustained by severe storms and tornadoes in Branch, Cass, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties are within the scope of state and local governments to address.
“Based on our review of all the information available, it was determined that the damage from the May 7, 2024, severe storms and tornadoes was not of such severity and magnitude as to be beyond the capabilities of the state, affected local governments, and voluntary agencies. Accordingly, it was determined that supplemental federal assistance wasn’t necessary," the letter reads.
It's a difficult reality for those who call Portage home.
"Certainly, we do not have the resources here in Portage or in Lansing to take care of the misery people are suffering," City Manager Pat McGinnis told FOX 17 Wednesday. "Some of these uninsured losses have hit people who don’t have the resources to hire contractors, so they’re out of their homes."
For LouAnna, a resident of the Timber Creek neighborhood, the news is especially tough to bear. Her home survived the tornadoes, but her neighborhood is now a desolate landscape of empty, torn-apart buildings.
"Everyone had to leave, and I feel lonely," she said Wednesday, her voice cracking with emotion. "My neighbor Linda always had a nice garden out there."
The garden is now overgrown. A car smashed to bits sits abandoned in an empty parking lot in front of her home.
"For me this isn’t moving fast enough," she said. "I just keep my blinds closed most of the time because I don’t wanna see it. I don’t wanna go for a walk."
She doesn't want to move; she wants a bit of outside help.
"The city of Portage is deeply disheartened by FEMA's denial of Governor Whitmer’s request for a major disaster declaration,” Portage Mayor Patricia Randall said Wednesday in a statement. “Our community has been profoundly affected by this disaster, and federal assistance is crucial for our recovery efforts. We strongly urge Governor Whitmer to appeal this decision and advocate on behalf of our residents to secure the support we desperately need."
The state has 30 days to appeal FEMA's decision. Governor Whitmer's office released the following statement:
"Governor Whitmer will work with anyone to help our local communities recover from severe weather events. That's why the evening of the storms, the governor declared a state of emergency to expedite resources to the area and activated our State Emergency Operations Center. While we are disappointed about the denial, we will continue to evaluate next steps. Michiganders are strong, and we will get through this together."
For now, there is a bit of state money coming for the recovery efforts in the area. Those funds were approved as part of the state budget signed by Governor Whitmer Wednesday.
"There’s $3 million there and we hope to use those funds to fill in gaps where other relief and insurance and assistance didn’t fill in, and that’s going to be a process for a few weeks," Sen. Sean McCann told FOX 17.
"We send a lot of tax dollars to the federal government, and I know we help in a lot of other states where disasters are a more regular occurrence. ... I think this is a case where we should get some tax dollars into the community."
McGinnis says they will be figuring out how to proceed with those funds in the coming weeks.
"Very welcome it was approved, but it won’t meet the full need, and we'll need to find other resources to help people," he said Wednesday. "To rebuild Portage, it might take six months, might take a year; it might take five years, but we're gonna keep at it and were not going to let anyone fall through the cracks."
Read the full letter from FEMA below:
MI TD Letter (1) by WXMI on Scribd
Senator Sean McCann released the following statement in response to the denial:
“I am dismayed to learn of FEMA's denial of a federal disaster declaration for the May 7th tornadoes, and I have already asked Governor Whitmer to appeal this decision. It is a disappointing determination that impacts real people.
“However, even without FEMA assistance, help is on the way from the State of Michigan. In the upcoming state budget, I was proud to have helped secure more than $3 million in funding to provide relief to the affected communities and the impacted people in my district. The budget, recently passed by the Legislature, will also put the maximum amount into the State Disaster Emergency Contingency Fund so that there will be money already available for future disasters.”
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