Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
Bessemer — A year after a devastating storm washed out much of the Little Girl’s Point area and severely damaged other locations, Gogebic County is still about $2 million short of reimbursement costs.
As a result, Michigan’s state senators are supporting a change in rules used to determine federal reimbursements for storm damages so it doesn’t happen again.
The July 11 storm dumped about a foot of rain in four hours and wiped out large culverts and washed away road surfaces.
In a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, the senators point out that neighboring northern Wisconsin experienced the same storm, (with four deaths). While those Wisconsin counties met Federal Emergency Management Agency thresholds for federal assistance, Gogebic County did not.
Gogebic County Board of Commissioners member Joe Bonovetz, of Bessemer, noted Wednesday that in Wisconsin, several counties were able to be combined so the federal disaster designation could be met, but that wasn’t the case in Gogebic County.
Commissioners discussed the letter at their regular monthly board meeting.
“Natural disasters do not abide by state lines and communities affected by the same storm should not be unfairly burdened simply because they exist on the other side of the border,” the letter reads.
Among other senators, the letter was signed by Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba.
The state senators are seeking that the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act be amended.
“Although the opportunity to provide relief to the residents of Gogebic County may be gone, we can ensure this does not happen to other communities along state borders in the future,” the letter concludes.
Michigan declared a state emergency disaster after the storm and Gov. Rick Snyder viewed the damage in the county, with the state offering financial assistance.
Gogebic County did not meet FEMA’s state per capita threshold, however, mostly because there are so few residents in the area affected by the storm.
Commissioner Jeff Wasley, of Ironwood, said changing that per capita equation is an important part of the senators’ effort.
