Here's how federal assistance might work after the ice storm

Yahoo

18-04-2025

A snapped-off utility pole lays by the side of the road in Bear Creek Township on March 31, 2025. (Photo: Michael Livingston/IPR News)
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer requested an emergency declaration from President Donald Trump for the state, 12 counties and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians following the historic ice storm that hit northern Michigan.
If granted, up to $5 million from the federal government would be made available to help northern Michigan clean up and recover.
Local, tribal and state entities and utilities have been responding to the storm for weeks, clearing roads, cleaning up debris and repairing power lines. Whitmer also called in the National Guard to help. The state estimates that costs for responding to the storm already exceed $7 million.
Officials have said federal assistance is central to recovery in the region. U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, a Republican, and Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, both Democrats, supported that request.
In a news release from the governor's office, Col. James F. Grady II, director of the Michigan State Police, said approval of the emergency request 'would bring critical federal resources to support local response operations that are still ongoing. This is a necessary step while we work toward the broader disaster declaration that will bring additional relief.'
But how does the process actually work?
After a disaster hits, local, tribal and state governments will typically be the first to respond. If they don't have enough resources to deal with the aftermath, governors and tribal governments can request assistance from the federal government, which the president has to sign off on.
Disaster declarations are structured through a law called the Stafford Act.
'There are incidents that obviously the state needs help dealing with, because no state or community can take care of it on their own, and that's when federal aid is designed to kick in,' said Anna Weber, a senior policy analyst for climate adaptation at the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council.
Weber spent a decade working on federal contracts related to water infrastructure and environmental health.
There are two types of federal disaster declarations. One is an emergency declaration, which the president decides on and which doesn't have to meet any threshold.
The other is a major disaster declaration, which often requires a damage assessment to determine if an area is eligible. (In situations where it's clear that federal assistance will be required, officials don't have to wait for a damage assessment to request federal assistance.)
The state of Michigan will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and the Small Business Administration to assess whether the region is eligible for that assistance.
It's up to President Trump to decide whether or not to grant that relief, which usually goes to local entities to help with cleanup and recovery.
In an emailed statement to IPR, White House spokesman Kush Desai said, 'The Trump administration is closely tracking the situation and is working with state and local officials to assess what next steps are needed.'
Emergency declarations are typically processed pretty quickly because they don't need to meet any specific criteria. The goal is to get aid to the area quickly.
And that can also be a stopgap to give FEMA time to assess the damage to see if more assistance is needed.
If that is the case, the governor can request a major disaster declaration which would unlock additional federal dollars.
And unlike the initial emergency declaration, in a major disaster declaration FEMA considers a range of criteria, such as a state's financial capacity and resources.
Those assessments begin next week.
'There'll actually be people out there driving around to areas that they can reach, you know, going looking at things with clipboards, writing down the kinds of damages that we've seen in these areas, how much money it costs and how many additional resources the state might need in order to address it,' Weber said.
If the region is eligible for major disaster relief, other forms of aid can then come into play — such as cash payments to individuals and public assistance for more long term recovery like repairing infrastructure.
Rep. Bergman is urging counties to assist in those assessments.
'For us to have a chance at securing Individual Assistance and Public Assistance, we need to take an all-hands-on-deck approach,' he wrote in a newsletter from his office on Thursday. 'I encourage our leaders in all 12 counties to support this effort as we work together to secure help for our communities.'
These relief efforts kick in after events like the ice storm, but federal hazard mitigation grants have also aimed to reduce the impact of future disasters.
Uncertainty surrounds FEMA amid the Trump administration's efforts to cut costs and reshape the federal government. Trump and those in his administration have said they want to drastically reduce – or even eliminate — the agency.
The situation has been constantly changing, but Weber said there have been concrete impacts: 'What we have seen is that staff and programs at FEMA are being eliminated, and aid is being slower to arrive even if it's already been approved.'
Those cuts have reached efforts to prepare for disasters as well. For example, Grist reported earlier this month that FEMA plans to dismantle a program, passed under the first Trump administration, to help communities prepare for disasters before they hit.
FEMA didn't respond directly to IPR's questions this week about criteria for a major disaster declaration in northern Michigan or what the damage assessment consists of.
Still, Weber said the big takeaway is that federal aid is meant to supplement what's already being done, so people can look to local governments and organizations for information and help.