PARK TOWNSHIP..MICH — Nearly two weeks after severe storms swept through Ottawa County, residents are still dealing with the aftermath, including an estimated $8.1 million in insured property losses.
"For those private property home losses, we're estimating $8.1 Million," said Louis Hunt, the Director of Emergency Management for Ottawa County.
Hunt said the hardest-hit area was a neighborhood in Park Township, known as Marigold Woods and Wakazoo Woods, where 21 homes suffered major damage, 12 had minor damage, and 11 were affected, mostly with cosmetic issues.
When considering whether to declare a state of emergency, Hunt explained that they talked about it at length with their state police counterparts at the emergency management and homeland security division, and then they came to the conclusion that it wasn't widespread enough to declare a state of emergency.
"What we were dealing with wasn't appropriate for a declaration of emergency or disaster," Hunt said. "It needs to be considered to be widespread and overwhelming, and we were actually heavily affected in a very narrow area."
While the area received financial support from state and federal funds, Hunt said the community's efforts are still ongoing. On top of that assistance, Park Township has been able to put together a couple of options for people dealing with debris. The township already had a relationship with a place called Chips Ground Cover, where residents can take their debris at no cost.
"We're still looking for other really creative solutions to help those folks out," Hunt said.
In the aftermath, four homes were completely destroyed, forcing the owners to rebuild.
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