Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Monday, in ten counties after activating the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to respond to the damaging ice storms in northern Michigan. โThis morning, Iโm declaring a state of emergency to get help out the door as fast as possible for Michiganders hit by the ice storm,โ said Governor Whitmer. โYesterday, I activated our State Emergency Operations Center to coordinate our response. State and local emergency teams are already on the ground, and we will continue collaborating with local first responders too. I want to thank everyone working hard to keep people safe. We will get through this together.โ
The state of emergency declaration includes the counties of Otsego, Oscoda, Montmorency, Presque Isle, Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Mackinac, and Alpena. This storm has caused widespread power outages, including loss of backup generators, loss of phone and cellular services, and impassable roads due to downed trees and other debris in northern Michigan.
