MARQUETTE, MI-- Marquette County officials will once again try to get Governor Rick Snyder to declare a state of emergency or state of disaster due to this winter’s harsh conditions.
Pipe freeze-ups and related issues have cost the county about $1.6 million. The county once before applied for either designation—which would have allowed state resources to aid in recovery efforts—but was denied.
But last week a local delegation testified in Lansing about the county’s issues with consistently frigid temperatures, and lawmakers say county officials should resubmit their request. The new document will be reviewed by Marquette County Board chair Gerald Corkin and others before it’s sent to the governor.
Six of 15 counties in the U.P. have declared local states of emergency. Winter’s frigid temperatures have cost the Upper Peninsula as a whole about $5.6 million.
