President Donald Trump has signed an emergency declaration for the communities struck by flooding this week in Michigan.
Two dams failed after heavy rains, swelling the Tittabawassee River to a record crest in the city of Midland. The declaration only covers Midland County.
At a Ford auto plant in Ypsilanti on Thursday, Trump spoke about the victims of the flooding.
“Americans are praying for Central Michigan,” Trump told an audience of auto workers. “We’re going to take care of your problem.”
The president’s emergency declaration authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts. A FEMA spokesman says the state of Michigan is the lead for the joint preliminary damage assessments.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke with the president Thursday about the situation in Midland County.
“The federal emergency declaration is a good start because it will help us take protective measures to protect lives and property from further damage,” Whitmer said in a written statement.
President Trump says he plans to visit the area affected by the flood at “an appropriate time”.
“The federal emergency declaration is a good start because it will help us take protective measures to protect lives and property from further damage,” Governor Whitmer said
