LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday asked President Donald Trump to make a presidential emergency declaration for 12 northern Michigan counties and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

The designation could qualify the state for "up to $5 million in immediate public assistance to support emergency efforts" in the wake of a historic ice storm in late March, according to the governor's office.

"I met with President Trump and submitted a request for a federal emergency declaration that will support local communities and counties with more resources as they recover from this devastating storm," Whitmer said in a statement.

"We’ll continue coordinating closely with first-responders, local communities, and Michiganders on the ground. Michiganders are strong, and we’ll get through this together.”

In her letter to Trump, Whitmer said electric utility cooperatives have estimated their response costs related to the storm will exceed $65 million; that sum does not include municipal or private utilities that are not eligible for federal aid. The state's costs are estimated to be more than $7 million and local and tribal government costs have not yet been calculated.

Several socioeconomic factors for the area — such as an elderly population, higher poverty rates and unemployment — are likely to make an efficient recovery difficult without some aid, Whitmer wrote.

Starting the week of April 20, the state will begin a formal joint preliminary damage assessment of northern Michigan with FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration to determine whether damage meets the threshold needed for a major disaster declaration and the individual and public assistance available through that declaration.

Prior to Friday's request to the White House, Whitmer declared a state of emergency in northern Michigan on March 31, she deployed the Michigan National Guard to aid in recovery efforts and declared an energy emergency in the Upper Peninsula to aid in delivery of fuel and other resources.

Whitmer's Friday request to Trump comes two days after the Michigan Public Service Commission announced a select number of northern Michigan residents will be eligible for outage credits equaling $40 a day for the time they spent without power.

Consumers Energy Co. and Alpena Power Co. customers are eligible for the outage credits because both of those power companies are regulated by the Michigan Public Service Commission, which implemented the outage credit system in recent years following long-lasting outages in southeast Michigan.

Under those rules, Consumers and Alpena Power customers are eligible for credits if their power has been out for more than 96 hours.

Thousands more residents who receive power through Cloverland Electric Cooperative, Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, Great Lakes Energy or the City of Harbor Springs are not eligible of the credits.

State Sen. John Damoose, a Harbor Springs Republican who's been active in communicating the plight in northern Michigan, said officials would have to look into an expansion of the outage credit in the "longer term."

"Right now, we are just trying to get the power restored and get through the initial phases of this emergency," said Damoose. He noted that his power in Emmet County was restored Thursday after a 12-day outage.

"A lot of people are still suffering," Damoose told The Detroit News. "But to me, that seems like a real problem that they may not have access to the same relief."

At the federal level, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, introduced a bill this week that would amend the Small Business Act to include prolonged power outages as a reason to declare a federal disaster. The threshold would be set at more than 25 homes or businesses in a community without power for more than 48 hours, and qualify those homes or businesses for low-interest loans to help with recovery.

“After ice storms and tornadoes swept our state earlier this month, it is more important than ever to make sure Michiganders have the support they need to continue to care for their families," Stevens said in a statement on the bill.

The Michigan Public Service Commission increased the outage credit from $38 to $40 in September, arguing the inflationary adjustment would provide an incentive for electricity providers to improve reliability.

The credit kicks in if the power has been out for more than 96 hours during "catastrophic conditions," or when 10% or more of a utility provider's customers are without power.

Allan Berg, CEO for Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, said the company is focused on restoring power to all of its consumers. Nearly all of the electric provider's 35,000 customers lost power and, as of Friday, more than 25,000 have had it restored.

"We have had these questions," Berg said of possible outage credits. "But we're prioritizing relief."

Berg said the company has been waiving late fees and providing extensions and will continue to find ways to help customers after power has been restored.

Cloverland Electric Cooperative, which supplies energy in the eastern Upper Peninsula, said it largely restored power by April 3 and does not plan to issue outage credits.

"We remain committed to providing reliable service and greatly appreciate our members’ patience and understanding during this significant restoration effort," said Allie Brawley, a spokeswoman for the company.

________

©2025 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.