Additional State Funds Approved for Gaylord Disaster Assitance

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has approved more than $500,000 in state assistance for Otsego County and surrounding communities that were devastated by a severe thunderstorm and tornado in May.

The money was made available through the Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund, which is used when communities demonstrate an exhaustion of local resources during a disaster or emergency. The approval comes after the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied the governor’s request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration. Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund awards can be applied toward the immediate prevention, response and recovery of a disaster or emergency, as well as cover overtime for public employees, contracts used during the response, shelter supplies, gasoline used during the response, and repair of public buildings and infrastructure.