OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Management along with representatives from FEMA and the Michigan State Police will be out on Thursday, May 9, in Ottawa County surveying property damage. The teams will be looking for damage and will also be speaking with residents. “We may be knocking on doors,” commented Beth Thomas, Emergency Management Director. “It would be helpful for those with significant damage to have information readily available.” Assessment teams will be asking about the extent of the damage, including the location of flooding in living areas and the depth of floodwaters, as well as if the damage is covered by insurance. In the event individuals are not available tomorrow, residents are encouraged to provide information about their damage to a neighbor or leave information at the front door. The Preliminary Damage Assessment process is the initial step to assist state officials in determining whether a federal declaration should be requested. Homeowners who have not already reported damage are encouraged to do so at miOttawa.org.
Now that Governor Snyder declared Ottawa County a disaster area, many residents are asking what this means for them. The declaration ensures that all possible resources, in accordance with the Michigan Emergency Management Plan, are provided to assist the local response to the flooding,which took place April 9 through May 3.
At this time, no decisions have been made on the availability of financial assistance. In the meantime,residents should log activities, take pictures, and keep any receipts documenting the costs you have incurred during the flood clean-up.
Important flooding updates will continue at miOttawa.org.
