By JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
SOUTHGATE — City officials said the amount of damage caused during this month’s record-setting storm has been tallied and reported, and homeowners await federal decisions to determine how much — if any — assistance might be available.
City Administrator Brandon Fournier said a team that included representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Administration collected reports from city, county and state officials to support Gov. Rick Snyder’s application for federal aid.
“They were doing assessments all week,” Fournier said Thursday. “At some point in the next (week) the application will be sent to the president to see if assistance is available.”
Fournier said the question for many Downriver residents remains what, if any, aid is possible for homeowners who lost personal belongings to flooded basements. The definitions of space not intended for occupation do not meet the criteria for federal aid, as has been the case with many insurance policies.
“Recreational and other common areas of the basement are not considered required rooms,” according to the Michigan Damage Assessment Handbook. Fournier said that while property loss might not be eligible, it remains to be seen what still may be covered if the storm meets disaster status.
“It’s hard to say what will be available,” Fournier said. “There are grants and tools that are possible, but at this juncture it’s difficult to guess.” Federal criteria does include relief if the home’s mechanical functions were damaged, resulting in a health risk regardless of location.
The historic storm — which delivered more than 4.5 inches or rain on Aug. 11 — was felt strongest east of Dix-Toledo on streets serviced by a joint sewer system shared with Wyandotte. Earlier this month hundreds of residents twice packed the auditorium at Anderson High School as city, state, county and federal officials listened to reports of property and household damage.
Fournier said the city had provided what it could — from cleaning kits to information about available resources — and welcomed residents with critical needs at Brainard Senior Center to facilitate emergency aid.
Fournier said federal guidelines and updates will be posted on the city’s website, www.southgatemi.org, or residents can contact City Hall, 14400 Dix-Toledo, 734-258-3010 for information.
For information on FEMA assistance go to www.disasterassistance.gov.
(James Mitchell can be reached at [email protected].)