GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared a state of emergency for the city of Grand Rapids because of widespread power outages due to severe winter weather.
Whitmer announced the declaration Saturday, Feb. 9., after the city requested assistance due to a winter storm on Feb. 7, which caused massive outages and hazardous driving conditions. Approximately 42,000 Grand Rapids residents were left without power after the winter storm knocked down trees and power lines.
“Our first responders and volunteer services continue to work diligently to protect public health and safety, while utility workers continue efforts to restore power to the residents of Grand Rapids and I thank all of them for their work,” Whitmer said. “This declaration will ensure state assistance is available to help the community with recovery efforts.”
The state of emergency makes available state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery efforts in the area, according to a media release. The city's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was then opened and a formal request for state assistance was sent to Gov. Whitmer.
You can read the complete executive order below:
Executive Order 2019-4 by on Scribd
