Dianda Says FEMA Needs To Reverse Denial Of Individual Assistance

While federal assistance has allowed road repairs to continue in the Keweenaw, homeowners who experienced property damage from the Father’s Day Flood are hopeful that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will have a change of heart when it comes to providing assistance to cover their needs.

“We’re putting a second request in for the President to be able to give us the money that is very duly needed to our residents. We did get approved for the road money, and also for infrastructure, but we are currently working with our two US Senators and our Congressman to have another request for the people that had damage to their personal property. That’s what we got denied on and we are working diligently to get that reapplied for,” said 110th District State Representative Scott Dianda.

That statement comes after FEMA announced that it will not be providing assistance for individuals in Houghton, Gogebic, and Menominee Counties, claiming that residential flood damage did not meet the necessary requirements.

Diana said, “That money would be able to be used for the destruction that they had from rocks and mud that came into their basement areas that took out their furnaces, their hot water tanks, and their washers and dryers. Those are the things that we’ve got to do, and we’re asking the President to be able to come up with a solution for us, to send us some resources that we desperately need.”

Dianda also stated that many UP homeowners have the know-how to install their own appliances, but when it comes to connecting gas lines and electrical components, it would be ideal to have these items tended to professionally, which will ensure compliance with local codes.

“They didn’t give us a timeline on that but we’re working everyday to make sure that we get that request answered. We want that money to help our residents here,” Dianda said.