State of emergency declared in Eaton, Ingham, Livingston counties

INGHAM COUNTY, Mich. (WLNS) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared a state of emergency in Ingham, Livingston and Eaton counties.

The declaration was requested by the counties Monday morning after widespread severe weather on the night of Aug. 24, including an EF-2 tornado, ravaged the area.

The approval grants Ingham, Livingston and Eaton counties access to state assistance and possible financial reimbursement for county and municipal expenses relating to the storm response and cleanup.

State of emergency declarations provide funds for costs such as:

• Employee overtime
• Specialized equipment purchases
• Rentals
• Related expanses

“Today, I am expanding the state of emergency I declared a few days ago to three more counties and the city of South Lyon so we can continue recovering from the impacts of the powerful storms we faced,” Whitmer said in a press release. “This action will ensure we efficiently and effectively distribute state resources to communities in need. We have been through a lot over the last week, but I know we will get through it together. Michiganders are tough and we have each other’s backs.”