McDonald Rivet, Moolenaar Demand Relief for Midland County Flood Victims

WASHINGTON— Today, days after the fifth anniversary of the historic Midland County floods, Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) and Congressman John Moolenaar (MI-02) sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security seeking answers on the status of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relief funds for the victims of extreme flooding in mid-Michigan. 

In May 2020, mid-Michigan experienced historic flooding after multiple dams collapsed following days of heavy rainfall. The flooding forced more than 10,000 residents to evacuate and caused nearly $200 million in damages to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. President Trump approved Governor Whitmer’s federal emergency declaration for Midland County in July 2020, but residents are still waiting for FEMA to complete its reimbursement process over five years later. 

Congresswoman McDonald Rivet and Congressman Moolenaar’s letter reads, in part, “We share the concern that FEMA's cumbersome processes have created barriers for communities seeking relief and need reform. We also share in the mission to streamline and improve the efficiency of the disaster assistance process to ensure other communities around the nation are not subject to the years-long delays that our region has experienced.

“That said, our community continues to be burdened by these systemic FEMA challenges, and while we remain grateful for the assistance from the dedicated FEMA personnel thus far, we are requesting FEMA work with our community to ensure the outstanding disaster-related claim requests for [Midland County, the Village of Sanford, and Midland Center for the Arts] promptly be reviewed and resolved”

A copy of the letter can be found here.