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WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) led the bipartisan Michigan delegation in sending a letter to President Joe Biden in support of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s appeal to activate the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) Program to provide immediate assistance to protect the life, property, and recovery of residents and communities following the devastating June floods in Southeast Michigan.

The PA Program authorizes additional federal funds to support the response, recovery, and mitigation activities of state, local, and tribal governments and nonprofits through direct assistance to organizations responding to a disaster.

“Our State and Local officials, and first responders have worked tirelessly in the intervening months to quickly respond to this crisis, but additional federal assistance is crucial to ongoing efforts to assess and recover from the significant impact that this disaster has had on our communities,” the lawmakers wrote. “Many of these communities are bearing significant financial burden from damages and limited insurance coverage, while simultaneously taking every effort to assist those that have been displaced and are suffering from exacerbated health risks as a result of these storms.”

They continued, “The PA program’s direct assistance may be authorized for emergency work, permanent work, as well as some hazard mitigation measures for eligible facilities through the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA)…We thank President Biden for declaring a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration on July 15, 2021, and FEMA’s continued efforts to support our State’s response to this crisis. We strongly support the Governor’s request that the PA program be authorized to provide immediate, necessary assistance to protect the life, property, and recovery of our residents and communities.”

The full letter can be found here.

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