Politics & Government
Mayor Declares State of Emergency in Ferndale
"This doesn't mean things have gotten worse. What this does mean is that Ferndale can now qualify for state funding that will go toward the cost of clean up," Mayor Dave Coulter said.
Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter declared Ferndale in a state of emergency Thursday after a fierce storm blew through the area Saturday evening, knocking down trees and leaving thousands of homes and businesses without power over the weekend and into the week.
"This doesn't mean things have gotten worse. What this does mean is that Ferndale can now qualify for state funding that will go toward the cost of clean up," Coulter said.
, knocking down as many as 80 wires in Ferndale, DTE Energy officials said. and wires and electrical poles. Saturday, after the storm went through, as many as 7,000 DTE customers were without power in Ferndale.
Find out what's happening in Ferndalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
About 250 are still without power in Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge combined.
Ferndale City Manager April McGrath said that the city is diong a "walk through" of Ferndale and so far have identified well more than 100 homes damaged by the storm.
Find out what's happening in Ferndalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Ferndale Department of Public Works Director Byron Photiades said Tuesday that it was the , when an ice storm also knocked out power throughout the city.
DPW workers have been out clearing the right of ways and chipping away debris, branches and brush since Saturday. All of the extra costs incurred with overtime and contract workers will have to be paid for by the city.
"We don't know the maximum cost of the damage at this time, but we have to pay for that," Coulter said. "We just want to recoup some of our costs."
Ferndale could receive a maximum of $30,000 from state funding. However, the mayor said the cost of the storm cleanup would be much higher than that. McGrath said that the cost of the damage could be as high as $100,000.
"I asked staff to look into the possibility of this and they agreed that it should be something we pursue," Coulter said. "(City Manager) April (McGrath) is working with Oakland County Emergency Management and they also encouraged us to do it."
Coulter said he anticipates Pleasant Ridge and Hazel Park to do the same.
Stay tuned to Ferndale Patch for more details on this story.
Correction: Emergency funds would come from the state of Michigan.
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