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Whitmer expands state of emergency to Kent, Ionia counties

Kent and Ionia counties will now be receiving state assistance in their storm cleanup efforts.

KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has added Kent and Ionia counties to the state of emergency declaration that was issued last week.

Gov. Whitmer originally declared a state of emergency for Monroe and Wayne counties on Aug. 25. Eaton, Ingham and Livingston counties, and the city of South Lyon in Oakland County were later added to the declaration on Aug. 28.

This comes as Kent County residents continue to clean up after severe storms hit West Michigan last week, causing an estimated $4 million in damage. The storms brought tornadoes, heavy rain and strong winds that uprooted trees and caused major damage to some homes and businesses.

“Today, I have expanded the state of emergency further to include two additional counties facing an extended recovery from the impacts of the powerful storms,” said Gov. Whitmer in a release. “State resources are available for impacted communities dealing with clean-up efforts as they start to rebuild. This has been an extraordinary weather event, but we will get through it together.”   

On Tuesday, Kent County officials declared a local state of emergency to aid in the cleanup efforts. Once a local state of emergency is declared, the county is eligible for state and federal funding.

While much of the power restoration is complete and major debris removed, there is still a lot more that needs to be cleaned up. Almost 200 buildings were damaged during the storms, ranging from businesses to warehouses and homes.

The local state of emergency will remain in effect for seven days and went into effect immediately.

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