North Michigan News

It has been almost four months since a severe ice storm caused significant damage in Northern Michigan. The storm, described as a once-in-a-generation event, lasted several days and resulted in widespread devastation. Ice accumulation damaged trees, power lines, communication towers, roads, homes, and businesses. This led to more than 100,000 homes and businesses losing power, with some outages lasting over two weeks. Many students missed nearly a month of school due to the conditions.

In response to this crisis, the Michigan House of Representatives passed House Bill 4328 on May 7. The bill proposes a $100 million disaster relief package and was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 107 to 1. However, despite being sent to the Michigan Senate over two months ago, the bill remains stalled in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The affected twelve counties are still dealing with the aftermath of the storm and cannot afford further delays in receiving aid. According to Parker Fairbairn: "This is not about politics or partisanship – this is about urgent, unmet needs in communities that are still climbing back from an extraordinary natural disaster."

Fairbairn emphasized that Northern Michigan residents are resilient but need assistance for recovery: "The cost of recovering from this once-in-a-generation weather event shouldn’t have to be shouldered alone." He argued that HB 4328 represents an essential investment for communities often overlooked in state resource allocation.

Fairbairn urged Senate leadership to bring HB 4328 up for a vote: "I have no doubt the Senate would do the same – if only their leadership would allow them the opportunity to do so." He called on Senate leaders to act promptly as Northern Michigan continues its recovery efforts.