Mich. Gov. Whitmer Announces $5.5 Million in Federal Disaster Recovery and Resilience Funds for Midland, Mich.

LANSING, Michigan, Aug. 11 -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Michigan, issued the following news release on Aug. 10, 2021:

Governor Whitmer today announced $5.5 million in new federal disaster relief awarded by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development to Midland, Michigan to assist in the city's recovery from severe storms and floods in May 2020. The new Community Development Block Grant Declared Disaster Recovery Fund (DDR) money will help Midland communities rebuild and become more resilient to future disasters.

"We will work tirelessly to get communities hit hard by natural disasters the help they need to recover and rebuild," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "I am grateful that our federal partners at the Department of Housing and Urban Development are sending $5.5 million to help Michiganders in Midland rebuild from May 2020's severe storms and floods. We have a lot of work to do to make lasting investments in our infrastructure to make it more resilient. I know that we can come together to put Michiganders first and get it done."

"Communities thrive when they are able to withstand climate impacts and natural disasters," said Deputy Secretary Todman. "That is why I am pleased that HUD is awarding $5.5 million in new federal funding to assist the Midland community in their recovery from the severe storms and floods of May 2020. With this funding, Midland will have the resources it needs to improve the community's climate resilience and the lives of those most-impacted by the flooding, particularly low- and moderate-income families and individuals."

On Tuesday, May 19, 2020 heavy rainfall in mid-Michigan led to the breach of the Edenville and Sanford Dams and destroyed public infrastructure, homes, and businesses. Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency on May 19, 2020 for Midland City and Midland County and later expanded the declaration to include additional impacted counties of Arenac, Gladwin, Saginaw, and Iosco. On May 20, 2020 Gov. Whitmer sent a letter to President Trump urging him to approve a federal emergency declaration for Midland County, which was approved on May 21, 2020. Governor Whitmer directed the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to investigate what caused the Edenville Dam and Sanford Dam to fail. On July 9, 2020, FEMA issued a major disaster declaration for Arenac, Gladwin, Iosco, Midland, and Saginaw Counties.

The $5,476,035 in DDR funds announced today will assist Midland in addressing emergency community development needs resulting from this disaster. The city can use the funding to facilitate natural infrastructure to reduce future flooding, reconstruct infrastructure with resilient and green features, and retrofit low- and moderate-income homes to repair damage while increasing energy efficiency and resilience.

DDR funds are made available in accordance with Section 106(c)(4) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, which allows the HUD Secretary to use CDBG funds that have been recaptured pursuant to CDBG program sanctions for the purpose of addressing recovery efforts from major disasters. It also indicates that HUD shall make these funds available to metropolitan cities and urban counties located or partially located in areas affected by major disasters declared pursuant to the Stafford Act, and shall give priority to providing emergency assistance. HUD may also provide assistance to a metro city or urban county if they have been covered by a major declared disaster for which the declaration occurred in the past three years.