Public attention is growing about an effort to get a disaster declaration for the entire Great Lakes coast in Michigan. The Berrien County Board of Commissioners last week approved a resolution asking the governor and Michigan Legislature to consider such a declaration due to severe erosion caused by the high water level and high winds this year. At a Monday night gathering in St. Joseph, Commissioner Ezra Scott, who introduced last week’s resolution, explained his plan to a crowd of residents. He told WSJM News federal support to address the erosion would come if the governor takes action.
“Once she declares a disaster, the chances of the president signing it are 100%, and once that happens, then the president – who is over FEMA and is over the Army Corps of Engineers, and over these federal entities – then they get their marching orders to come and try to do something to fix this,” Scott said.
Scott led the meeting at the home of Eric and Connie Peet on Lakeshore Drive. Eric told WSJM News he has seen property devastated in the area.
“Our neighbor two doors up here had to tear his house down and the footprint where his house used to be is now gone, and it’s very quickly moving toward our other neighbor’s house,” Peet said. “In the meantime, our other neighbor to the south here, their property has started to erode. It’s measured by tens of feet. It’s not a matter of inches or a foot here and there. They used to have a concrete patio in their backyard, and it’s at the base of the bluff now.”
Scott told the gathering a federal disaster declaration could possibly mean low-interest loans for property owners affected. He said the way to fight the erosion is for the feds to re-establish beaches by decreasing the Great Lakes water levels, constructing underwater concrete reefs to reduce wave impacts, and building up the beaches. Scott told us his phone has been blowing up since the county board approved his resolution and word got around. He wants everyone to contact their state and federal representatives.
