LANSING — Today, Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of disaster in the Upper Peninsula’s Houghton County after intense weekend storms dropped 4-7 inches of rain causing flooding that washed out roads and damaged homes and businesses. In response, state Rep. Sara Cambensy (D-Marquette) issued the following statement on her no vote:
“I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to Gov. Rick Snyder for his declaration, which will open up state emergency relief dollars to flood recovery efforts in Houghton and Menominee counties. When I got the call from state Rep. Scott Dianda (D-Calumet) about how hard his district was hit, I drove to the Keweenaw to see the damage firsthand. It was truly beyond words. The shocking photos and videos circulating in the media fail to capture the full magnitude of this disaster. Rebuilding and recovering will be a long and expensive process, but it has already brought people from the U.P. and our entire state together. With this announcement, I’m confident we can now get critical services and supplies to everyone who needs them and start rebuilding our communities, getting residents back on their feet and their spirits up.”