Washtenaw County offering disaster assistance for damage from historic summer flooding. How to apply – MLive.com

Flooding in Ypsilanti photo studio
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – Officials are still working to ensure residents are covered for property damage sustained when powerful storms dumped nearly 6 inches of rain in 24 hours on parts of Washtenaw County in late June.
The county’s Flood Assistance Fund is open for applications, officials have announced in a news release.
The money — $212,150 provided by the state — is being distributed to pay for emergency and disaster response costs that haven’t been covered through insurance or by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the release.
The emergency assistance dollars were received in late September, and the county just opened the application process, Deputy County Administrator Diane Heidt said on Dec. 21.
Officials are prioritizing the state dollars for renters and homeowners in Washtenaw County whose expenses exceeded insurance coverage or federal assistance, county officials said.
The application can be found online and is open through Jan. 31. Applicants will be notified of any funding award by Feb. 15, county officials said.
If residents can’t access the online application, paper forms are available. Heidt can answer questions at 734-891-2570 and heidtd@washtenaw.org.
Claims for emergency assistance must be supported by appropriate documentation. That could include quotes for repair work, receipts for reimbursement and photos, as well as approval or denial correspondence from an insurance carrier or FEMA, according to the news release.
The June 25-26 rain event included some intense, short bursts that likely reached at least “300-year” levels, according to a debriefing presentation county leaders heard in September.
Read more: ‘My toilet was a geyser’: Washtenaw County reviews historic June flooding
The rainfall displaced some 42 people in an Ypsilanti Township apartment complex, and several homes required evacuation. Officials declared a local state of emergency in the days following the storms.
Areas of Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township and southeast Ann Arbor endured 5.5 to 5.7 inches of rainfall in 24 hours, according to the presentation. That nears a 200-year storm, a designation that indicates a 0.5% probability of that level of rain fall happening in any given year but doesn’t mean the area won’t see similarly powerful storms in the near future.
Most of the damage reports after the storms came from indoor flooding in older neighborhoods, often where basement drains connect directly to sanitary sewers, county officials said.
The downpour snapped a “lucky” streak for Washtenaw County, which hadn’t seen a 100-year storm in 120 years of recorded rain gauge, officials said in September.
To access the Flood Assistance Fund application, click here.
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