Trump OKs disaster declaration after northern Michigan ice storm

Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News on Jul 23, 2025

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LANSING, Mich. — President Donald Trump has approved Michigan's request for a disaster declaration to help with the cost of cleanup efforts after a historic ice storm wiped out power for thousands in Northern Michigan.

Neither Trump, in a Federal Emergency Management Agency release, nor Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave a dollar amount regarding what the state is eligible for in their official announcements Wednesday on the declaration. But Trump said Tuesday on social media he was approving $50 million in public assistance for the state.

"It was my honor to do so!" Trump wrote on social media Tuesday.

State and federal officials had estimated the storm caused over $137 million worth of immediate response costs.

Whitmer described the disaster declaration Wednesday as "initial support" and said it would aid communities in recovering cleanup costs after an ice storm that took out power for thousands in northern Michigan.

"I want to thank the president and our congressional delegation for supporting our request, and I look forward to collaborating further on much-needed additional resources," Whitmer wrote in a statement Wednesday.

"Michiganders across the state stepped up to help our neighbors, and while other parts of our request remain under review, we will continue advocating together to help Northern Michigan recover and rebuild.”

The $50 million figure that Trump referenced in his post is the estimated amount of costs that the state will recover from the public assistance fund and not a cap, according to information provided to state officials. The figure doesn't cover public utility companies' damages.

The federal disaster declaration Wednesday allows Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Kalkaska, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle Counties and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians to access Federal Emergency Management Agency public assistance.

Whitmer also has requested separate aid for individual assistance and public assistance.

The governor declared a state of emergency for the counties on March 31, deployed the Michigan National Guard and declared an energy emergency in the Upper Peninsula to ensure critical supplies were available there.

The GOP-led Michigan House in May approved a $100 million appropriation to aid recovery efforts that is supposed to be used as a match to draw down more federal aid. The funding proposal has not yet been voted on by the Democratic-led Senate.

In the governor's letter seeking a disaster declaration from Trump in April, Whitmer said electric utility cooperatives have estimated their response costs related to the storm will exceed $65 million; that sum does not include municipal or private utilities that are not eligible for federal aid. The state's costs are estimated to be more than $7 million, and local and tribal government costs have not yet been calculated.

Presque Isle Electric & Gas alone estimated its current costs related to the storm at about $100 million and said the final costs could run as high as $150 million.

The utility, which had to take out a $100 million emergency line of credit while awaiting state or federal aid, told ratepayers it would have to raise rates to begin paying interest on the loan. Members approved a $20 per month emergency recovery fee on each ratepayer at a June meeting.

In a Wednesday statement, FEMA confirmed the federal disaster assistance was available and designated Darrin Ricketts as the federal coordinating officer for the assistance.

"Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments," the release said.

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(Staff writer Melissa Nann Burke contributed.)