By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
LANSING — No aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will officially be coming to St. Joseph County for those affected by the March 6 tornadoes.
On Thursday, Michigan State Police announced that FEMA denied the State of Michigan’s appeal for funding for the Individual Assistance (IA) program in St. Joseph, Branch and Cass counties and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) statewide. The assistance had been requesting following the deadly tornadoes that passed through the area in March.
“In the aftermath of these devastating tornadoes, our priority has remained supporting the communities and residents impacted by this disaster,” Capt. Kevin Sweeney, deputy state director of Emergency Management and commander of the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD), said in a statement. “We will continue working with our local partners to support recovery efforts and ensure survivors have access to available resources.”
According to MSP, a letter from FEMA reaffirmed the June 23 denial of IA and HMGP funding, which would have offered a number of services for those affected by the tornadoes. As previously reported, the IA program would have provided financial support and direct services to eligible individuals and households who have sustained uninsured or underinsured losses due to damage caused by tornadoes, while the HMGP would have supported projects to help communities reduce future disaster risks.
In a statement back in June, a FEMA spokesperson said the denial was based on a review of information they gathered following the tornadoes, saying the damage was “not of such severity and magnitude as to be beyond the capabilities of the state, affected local governments and voluntary agencies.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had appealed FEMA’s decision shortly after the agency’s June 23 announcement.
On March 6, four tornadoes with intensities ranging from EF-0 to EF-3 impacted southern Lower Michigan, with Three Rivers, Edwardsburg and Union City among the hardest hit. The tornadoes damaged or destroyed numerous homes and businesses, overturned vehicles, and took down numerous trees. A 12-year-old child in Cass County lost their life, along with three adults in Union City. The storm also caused significant power outages across the region.
St. Joseph County Emergency Manager Josh Shook said there is still some other options for assistance in the county. After the Storm is still working with homeowners and property owners, the St. Joseph County United Way is also available to help, and anyone that has any unmet needs can also call 211.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
