Whitmer Declares State Of Emergency For 3 South Michigan Counties After Severe Storm Damage

(CBS DETROIT) - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Branch, Hillsdale, and St. Joseph counties due to the impact of the severe thunderstorms and winds that occurred on Aug. 11 and 12.

"Thank you to the first responders and line-workers who have worked diligently to keep our residents safe and restore power to our communities," said Whitmer. "We will continue to work closely with Branch, Hillsdale, and St. Joseph counties and provide needed resources to support recovery efforts."

Declaring a state of emergency has made all state resources available in cooperation with local recovery efforts.

On August 13, Branch County declared a local state of emergency due to a severe thunderstorm that caused widespread or severe damage. St. Joseph County followed and declared a local state of emergency on Aug. 14, and Hillsdale County declared a local state of emergency on Aug. 16.

All three counties then requested a governor's declaration, which means that local resources are insufficient to address the impact of the damage.