Feds sending $461M in disaster aid to Michigan for August 2023 tornadoes, floods

Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News on Jan 7, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

WASHINGTON ― The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated nearly $461 million in disaster aid this week to Michigan, Detroit and Wayne County to help individuals, businesses and localities recover from flooding, tornadoes and storms in late August 2023, officials said Tuesday.

The funding was approved in late December as part of a stopgap spending package to fund the federal government into March.

Tuesday's announcement by HUD included nearly $12 billion in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds for communities across 24 states and territories. About $346.9 million was allocated for Detroit, $70.4 million for Wayne County and $43.7 million for the state of Michigan.

“This $12 billion in disaster discovery funds will help rebuild homes, develop affordable housing, assist impacted small businesses, and repair roads, schools, water treatment plants and other critical infrastructure," Acting HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman said in a statement.

"The impacts of these funds will be felt for years to come ― especially for disaster survivors and communities in the most impacted areas.”

The agency said the funds may be used to replace damaged affordable housing, strengthen infrastructure through repairs, upgrades and activities to increase the resilience of public facilities and infrastructure including roadways, water systems and utilities.

The money may also bolster "economic revitalization" including support for small businesses and job creation of jobs or to implement disaster mitigation measures to reduce risk of damage from future extreme weather and disaster events, according to a news release.

HUD indicated the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program is for responding to presidentially declared disasters like the the tornadoes and storms that hit the state Aug. 24-26, 2023.

Seven tornadoes touched down in Michigan on Aug. 24 that year as part of severe weather system that caused two deaths, downed trees, damaged buildings and spurred flooding. Four of the twisters hit Wayne County, just one day after parts of the county were doused with seven inches of rain that wreaked havoc on air travel at Detroit Metro Airport.

At the time, the storms prompted Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to declare a state of emergency.

The National Weather Service said one tornado in eastern Ingham County had traveled along Interstate 96 for 1.5 miles, causing so much damage that the highway had to be shut down in both directions.

The confirmed EF2 tornado packing wind speeds of up to 125 miles per hour flipped vehicles and leveled forested areas along a stretch of highway between Webberville and Williamston, snapping trees in half.

President Joe Biden issued that disaster declaration months later in February 2024.

_____

(Staff writer Craig Mauger contributed.)

_____