LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency on Monday for Iron and Marquette counties as severe flooding left roads impassible and widened the damage across Michigan. The move adds two more Upper Peninsula counties to a response that began with Cheboygan County on April 10 and expanded rapidly in the days that followed.
Whitmer said the declaration would help Marquette and Iron counties with ongoing recovery efforts. It authorizes the use of all available state resources to support local response and recovery operations, and it opens the door for eligible communities to seek financial assistance under Section 19 of Michigan’s Emergency Management Act, Public Act 390 of 1976, to help cover emergency response costs and repair public infrastructure damaged by the storms.
The newest order comes after Michigan added 37 counties, including Menominee County in the U.P., within two days of the April 10 declaration for Cheboygan County. The widening list shows how quickly the flooding problem moved from one region to much of the state. State officials said the emergency response is being coordinated through the State Emergency Operations Center, with Michigan State Police troopers on the ground helping local crews.
That matters because the situation has shifted from immediate rescue and road closures to the slower work of cleanup and repair. Whitmer said water levels across Michigan are stabilizing and dropping, but local governments still need help getting roads back open and public infrastructure fixed. The emergency declaration is now the state’s main tool for keeping that recovery moving.
Whitmer thanked first responders for protecting Michiganders and their property, and she said her administration will keep working with local communities until the damage is repaired. The unanswered question now is how fast the aid reaches the hardest-hit places, including the counties where flooded roads are still cutting off daily travel and delaying recovery.
