HARBOR SPRINGS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Communities up north including Alpena, Gaylord, Harbor Springs and more, are still battling to recover after a generational storm devastated the area.
Now, more volunteers from metro Detroit are answering the call for help as state leaders expect infrastructure rebuilding to cost millions.
Since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for 10 counties, including Emmet and Charlevoix, those affected by a massive ice storm say their focus is turning to long-term recovery.
RELATED: Gov. Whitmer deploys National Guard as northern Michigan recovers from devastating ice storm
Across parts of northern Michigan, the impact of a crippling ice storm continues to be felt to an extent many find hard to believe. Along with countless downed trees and power lines, there is the weight of a crisis experts say could cost businesses, local government and homeowners millions for years to come.
Homeowner Kristine Sellers in Harbor Springs shared these photos with me of a tree that landed on part of her roof. She says while her power lines are buried underground, many in the area are left to seek assistance from shelters due to active outages and butter cold.
“It was very frightening," Kristine said. “There’s some remote areas that still don’t have power...I still have three trees on my house. My driveway was completely blocked.”
According to the National Weather Service, the paralyzing ice storm is the worst to hit the area in 50 years, with roughly 100,000 without power initially. Emergency responders tell me many who relied on generators are finally seeing gas stations and grocery stores re-open.
“You have to remember we had about five days of this storm, a success of waves. That got worse and worse each time," said State Sen. John Damoose.
Damoose, who helped partner with the governor to get an emergency declaration, tells me how much additional funding is needed to rebuild is still unknown.
“In terms of dollar amount and how much all this is going to cost. Do we have an idea at this point?” I asked.
“The real damage total isn’t going to come out until we can access what needs to be fixed," Sen. Damoose said. “This is the most unbelievably huge area. I serve eight counties. Five of them had significant damage. Four were flat-out decimated by this.”
As of now, falling ice remains a danger and roads are still being cleared. A week and a half into the situation, Damoose told me he's seen an outpour of support: everything from volunteers with chainsaws to church groups donating thousands in gas cards.
“I can’t tell you the great stories I’ve seen with my own eyes. Some bring tears to your eyes," Damoose said.
“We brought seven of us up here Wednesday afternoon at the request of the state emergency operations center," said Andrew Zaccagnini, incident commander with the Oakland County Incident Management team.
Watch below: More of our interview with Andrew Zaccagnini
In Montmorency County, one of 12 counties under a state of emergency, a highly-trained team from Oakland County is assisting with managing response, to a wide range of issues as thousands are still without power.
“Most of these power companies in the area have seen catastrophic damage to their infrastructure, so there’s a lot of work to repair. We’re working with the state and board of commissioners in the county. Local fire departments and Michigan National Guard," Andrew said. “So, we provide a coordination effort with operations, planning and logistics.”
For Kristine, chilling temperatures are by no means the only concern. She's hopeful to see work continue to rebuild the grid and for the president to grant federal aid after talking with Whitmer.
“It’s going to be a long recovery. Harbor Springs and Emmet County isn’t going to be the same. We’ve lost so many trees," Kristine said. “It’s going to hurt a lot of businesses.”
If you’d like to help, we’ve put several links to provide assistance:
- Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan
- Charlevoix County Community Foundation
- Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation
