Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
MOVING LAYERS of slushy snow from the entrance to the Gogebic Range Solid Waste Management transfer station on Tuesday is Terry Fetters. Ironwood and the surrounding region were still in the midst of a storm that started Saturday evening, and although the driveway and adjacent U.S. 2 had relatively thin layers of snow, plows were working steadily to remove it as weather reports warned of hazardous driving.
By P.J. GLISSON
GOGEBIC RANGE - Attempts to ascertain damage from a mid-April storm that could result in federal emergency funds have been thwarted by yet another storm that started last Saturday night and ended late Tuesday afternoon.
But Heidi DeRosso, 911/emergency coordinator for Gogebic County, told county commissioners last week that her county already has calculated $10.6 million in damages.
On Tuesday, she was among several officials who told The Globe that full calculations - now climbing - are not yet possible, given the new snow.
Michael Kocher, emergency services director in Ontonagon County, said no official numbers have yet been announced there yet, but he added, "I can easily surmise it will be in the millions."
DeRosso said that $18.47 is the threshold needed to request federal aid for the entirety of the Western U.P.
In order to help meet that limit, the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division is working with several counties in hopes of submitting a joint declaration for federal aid.
Although eight counties originally were part of that objective, DeRosso said two of them - Alger and Dickinson - withdrew their part in the federal plea due to "limited damage" sustained in their locales.
In addition to Gogebic and Ontonagon, remaining counties in the proposed declaration include Houghton, Baraga, Marquette and Iron, but none of them yet have clear assessments of damage.
"We're in a holding pattern," said Lt. Steve Derusha, 8th District Coordinator of MSP's EMHD. "We're still waiting for the water to go down enough that we can get an assessment."
He predicted it could be more than a week before better numbers to be determined.
DeRosso, who expects growing damage numbers, said experts were scheduled to inspect about 20 county bridges on Friday, but that date now will be postponed because of the recent precipitation.
Although she reported "significant flooding" to commissioners in relation to the first storm, she told The Globe on Tuesday that she is not aware of any new flooding since last weekend.
Nevertheless, she added that rivers and ditches are high, so there is potential for additional floods.
She explained that the state can issue $150,000 per municipality and the same to the Gogebic County Road Commission.
"The state also can do a special appropriation," she said if federal funds don't work out.
"I'm optimistic we'll get a federal declaration," said Wakefield City Manager Robert Brown, but he added that he's not willing yet to put any related eggs in a basket.
He, too, mentioned the need to wait for better weather to better gauge damages. Lately, he said the process of assessment versus snowfall has been "like playing whack-a-mole."
He added that the other component of federal funding, if it is sought, is that it involves a lot of restrictions. As a result, he said his city may not qualify for some elements, and if it does qualify for certain facets, then there may be "caveats" that are not possible to meet.
Bessemer City Manager Jennifer Adams said Bessemer has no issues at this time regarding the previous or most recent storm.
Gogebic County Sheriff Ross Solberg spoke in equally positive terms.
"We've had a few cars in the ditch," he said of this week, but added that it was nothing out of the ordinary.
With dry humor, he characterized Tuesday as "a normal winter day in May."
In Ontonagon County, Kocher conceded that - despite his county having had notable road issues, as reported last week in relation to the first storm - he now believes that Gogebic County has bigger problems.
His own county, he said, has had no water supply issues, nor any extended power outages.
In Iron County, Emergency Coordinator Stacy Ofstad said he expects the $350,000 in damages reported there after the first storm to rise.
"Towns are accumulating more road damage," he said as a result of the second storm, but noted that it's not possible to conclude calculations yet.
One advantage of the new storm, he said, is that "the snow is actually holding back the water now."
At the April 26 meeting of the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners, DeRosso commended the fact that "many people put in countless hours" to deal with storm issues.
She particularly noted employees of the GCRC and the county sheriff's office.
Board Chairman James Lorenson also commended DeRosso, stating of officials with whom he'd communicated, "They've all spoken very highly of the effort Heidi has put in."
The 911/Emergency Management Facebook page invites local citizens to submit any damage they have sustained due to recent weather events. DeRosso told The Globe that she has not yet been given an end date for reporting that damage, but she encourages the public to report any issues with what Kocher described as "the continuing saga."
