Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a lifelong Michigander. She is a lawyer, an educator, former prosecutor, State Representative and Senator. She was the first woman to lead a Senate caucus. But the most important title she boasts is MOM. Inspired by her family, she’s devoted her life to building a stronger Michigan for everyone.
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
June 08, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2020
Contact: Press@Michigan.gov
PHOTOS: Governor Whitmer Volunteers in Midland Area Relief Efforts
STANFORD, Mich. -- Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer volunteered at Meridian Elementary School to help distribute supplies for Michigan families impacted by the historic and devastating flooding in the area. The governor also announced that she intends to apply for a major disaster declaration to get the necessary funding and help from the federal government to repair the damage.
On May 19, failures of the Edenville and Sanford Dams in Midland County forced over 10,000 residents to evacuate their homes. Since then, the governor has worked in partnership with local, state and federal officials to help families and business owners recover. The governor has declared a state of emergency in Midland, Saginaw, Arenac, Gladwin, and Iosco counties. On May 21, FEMA approved the governor’s request for a federal emergency declaration to provide additional resources to impacted areas to respond to the extreme flooding. The governor has also directed the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to investigate what caused the dams to fail, and asked EGLE to review the larger issue of dam safety in Michigan and provide recommendations on policy, legislative, budgetary, and enforcement reforms that can prevent these harms from repeating elsewhere.
###