(WASHINGTON) - President Donald Trump has reversed course and approved $32.1 million in federal disaster relief aid for Michigan after previously denying assistance tied to storm damage in southwest Michigan.
The Detroit News reports Trump announced the approval Tuesday night for "severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding."
It was not immediately clear which storm damage the approval covers. Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently appealed the denial of federal disaster aid for March tornado damage in Branch, Cass and St. Joseph counties. She also asked for a disaster declaration for heavy storms, rain, rapid snowmelt and tornadoes in 43 Michigan counties in April.
Southwest Michigan Tornadoes
Whitmer asked Trump on April 1 to declare a major disaster in Branch, Cass and St. Joseph counties after March 6 storms caused four deaths and significant property damage.
The Detroit News reports FEMA had denied federal individual assistance, along with funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
Whitmer appealed the denial last week, saying families were still recovering from the March tornadoes.
Michigan lawmakers also urged Trump to reconsider the denial. Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, along with Representatives Bill Huizenga and Tim Walberg, called for Individual Assistance for Branch, Cass and St. Joseph counties and statewide activation of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
March Storm Damage
The National Weather Service confirmed four tornadoes hit southwest Michigan on March 6.
An EF3 tornado with winds around 160 miles per hour hit the Union City area in Branch County, injuring 12 people and killing three.
An EF1 tornado hit Edwardsburg in Cass County, killing a 12-year-old boy.
An EF2 tornado with winds of at least 130 miles per hour hit Three Rivers in St. Joseph County.
An EF0 tornado with winds around 85 miles per hour touched down in Clarendon Township in Calhoun County.
State officials said 33 homes were destroyed across the three hardest-hit counties. Another 74 homes had major damage and 207 had minor damage.
April Storm Damage
Whitmer also requested a disaster declaration for April storm damage in 43 Michigan counties.
The Detroit News reports heavy thunderstorms and rainfall from April 13 through April 18 brought tornadoes, high winds, hail, flash flooding and river flooding.
That flooding caused five small dams to fail in northern Michigan. A tornado in mid-April also tore away the east wall of the ice arena at Veterans Memorial Park in Ann Arbor.