How to Find a Reputable Contractor After a Storm or Disaster

After a natural disaster or storm, it's essential to hire a licensed contractor for any repairs to your home. Michigan law requires that any repair work totaling $600 or more be completed by a licensed contractor, either a residential builder or a residential maintenance and alteration contractor. To ensure you’re hiring a legitimate professional, start by asking the contractor for their 10-digit "residential builder license number."

Once you have the license number, you can easily verify it by visiting www.michigan.gov/bcc. On the website, select "Verify A License," then choose “Construction: Residential Builders, Electricians, Plumbers, etc.” From there, enter the contractor’s license number to confirm their credentials.

It’s important to understand the difference between the types of contractors you might hire:

• Residential Builders can fully reconstruct a home from the ground up.

• Residential Maintenance and Alteration Contractors specialize in specific trades, such as roofing, siding, carpentry, and more.

Residential builders and residential maintenance and alteration contractors are required to be licensed under Article 24 of the Occupational Code. For more details, visit www.michigan.gov/bcc and select “Administrative Rules, Codes, Public Acts and Standards” to review their specific legislative guidelines.

Verifying a contractor’s license ensures that they meet Michigan’s standards and are properly qualified for the job. By following these steps, you can be confident that you’re hiring a reputable, licensed professional to help with your repairs.

A list of licensed contractors can be found below.
*Disclaimer: the following organizations were contacted to populate the list.

• Code Officials Conference of Michigan
• Michigan Association of Housing Officials
• Southeast Michigan Building Officials & Inspectors Association
• Independent Alliance of the Electrical Industry, Michigan Chapter
• Michigan Association of Code Enforcement Officers

Licensed Contractors

DIFS Disaster Preparedness

DIFS Consumer Counselor: Insurance Policies and How to Claim What is Yours

DIFS Guide to Resolving Insurance Problems/Complaint Form

How to be "Claim Smart"

DIFS Consumer Counselor: Homeownership vs. Repair Cost Policies

Insurance Claims Tracking Sheet

DIFS Office of Consumer Services:

• Phone: 877-999-6442, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm
• Email: DIFScomplaints@michigan.gov

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Fact Sheet

Portable Generators Fact Sheet

MDHHS Cold Health and Safety Fact Sheet

MDHHS Cold Health and Safety Fact Sheet - Spanish

Your Health and Wildfire Smoke

MDHHS maintains a toll-free telephone hotline for questions about the environment and health. Callers can have questions answered about contaminants in the home and in the environment. Call 800-MI-TOXIC (1-800-648-6942) during business hours, 8 a.m.-5p.m., Monday through Friday.

Click the link below for information regarding unemployment benefits and how to apply for them. 

UIA Resources for Claimants

Click the link below for information regarding state tax relief for the affected areas.

State Tax Relief

After a Disaster or Emergency

Throw away the following food:

• Perishable food that has not been refrigerated or frozen properly due to power outages
• Food that may have come in contact with floodwater or stormwater
• Food with an unusual odor, color, or texture

After a Power Outage

Determine the safety of your food:

• If an appliance thermometer was kept in the freezer, check the temperature when the power comes back on. If the freezer thermometer reads 40°F (4°C) or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen.
• If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, check each package of food to determine its safety. You can’t rely on appearance or odor alone. If the food still contains ice crystals or is 40°F (4°C) or below, it is safe to refreeze or cook.
• Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out for no more than 4 hours and the refrigerator door was kept shut. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or leftovers) that has been at temperatures above 40°F (4°C) for 2 hours or more (or 1 hour if temperatures are above 90°F (32°C)).

Throw out the following foods:

• All perishable foods (including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers) in your refrigerator when the power has been off for 4 hours or more.
• All perishable foods in your freezer if they have thawed.

You can safely refreeze or cook food from the freezer if the food still contains ice crystals and feels as cold as if refrigerated.

Is food in the refrigerator safe during a power outage? Use this chart to find out.

Is thawed or partially thawed food in the freezer safe to eat? Use this chart as a guide.

Great Lakes Energy has completed much of the main line rebuild on Tuesday, April 8, and are continuing to make significant progress each day. Our work follows the flow of power from the substation out, and much of our main lines from there had to be rebuilt before we could begin repairs closer to individual homes.

We are currently targeting April 13 for the vast majority of homes to have power restored. For estimated restoration times specific to each outage, GLE members can refer to the following resources:

Individual outages are listed on the outage map at gtlakes.com/power-outages/

GLE online account from a web browser:

• Visit gtlakes.com
• Click the “Log in to your account” button on the homepage
• Enter email and password and click “Sign In”
• Click the “Track Issue Status” link at the top of the landing page

GLE Mobile App:

• Open the mobile app
• Ener email and password and click “Sign In”
• Click “More”
• Click “Contact Us”
• Click “Track Issue Status”
• Click "Power Outage”

Call “888-485-2537” and follow the phone queue to speak with a representative

Please keep in mind that these are estimated restoration times, not guarantees. Factors such as impassable roads, fallen trees, and downed power lines continue to present challenges. However, crews are working tirelessly and will not stop until power is restored to all Great Lakes Energy members.

Use the link below to find your local office for possible disaster assistance.

USDA Farm Service Agency MI