Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Chris Van Arsdale, emergency management coordinator for Houghton County, gives an update on county flood recovery to the Houghton County Board Tuesday night.

HOUGHTON — As flood waters begin receding, Houghton County is looking to finish its assessment of damages by the end of the week, Emergency Management Coordinator Chris Van Arsdale told the Houghton County Board Tuesday night.

Seventeen people had reported flood damages as of Tuesday morning in connection with the flooding, which began with rapid snow melts April 9, Van Arsdale said.

People can continue to report flood damage by calling 211 by May 19. That can also entitle them to free cleanup supplies or volunteer help from the state.

Last month, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in Alger, Baraga, Dickinson, Iron, Houghton, Gogebic, Marquette, and Ontonagon counties. Tallying the damages has been complicated by continued rounds of winter storms, rainfall and snowmelt that have kept water levels high.

“I think we’ve finally gotten to the point where we can make that happen,” Van Arsdale said. “And so the state is asking us to get that done by the end of the week, if possible … the next step is, they send people up, it sounds like perhaps the last week in May, and verify what our damage numbers are.”

The counties under the emergency will be eligible to file for a presidential declaration of disaster if their total damage exceeds $18 million. The six hardest-hit counties will file jointly, allowing for the inclusion of counties such as Marquette and Gogebic, which suffered more extensive damage similar to what Houghton saw in the Father’s Day Flood, Van Arsdale said.

“All the numbers aren’t in yet, but just the three counties that have filed so far, we’re over $18 (million),” Van Arsdale said.

That would open the counties to Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance. FEMA would then make a separate visit to verify the state disaster estimates, and break the situation down into separate repair projects. FEMA would meet with the entity in charge, whether the road commission or a township, and discuss the scope, the cost, and other particulars such as procurement rules.

“The other piece of that is FEMA will only cover 75% of the cost of repairs,” Van Arsdale said. “In the past, the state through special appropriations has covered that other (cost), either 12.5% or the whole 25% they did in 2018. So that’s another hurdle we’re going to have to face at some point, should we get this presidential declaration — which is not guaranteed. But we think we have a strong case.”

The federal assistance process is a long one, Van Arsdale said; some projects from the 2018 flood are still being finished.

If the counties don’t qualify for federal eligibility, they can fall back on the state’s Emergency Management Act, which provides funding for municipalities to do repairs. Less paperwork is required than under FEMA, and it doesn’t require a local match, Van Arsdale said.

But it also provides less money; Houghton County would be eligible for about $500,000.

The state is working with the National Weather Service to determine the time window for damages.

“That’s been an unusual issue for the state and for FEMA, because it’s not well-defined,” Van Arsdale said. “Normally, you have 72 hours from the time the incident finishes until your initial damage assessment is done. They’re still trying to determine when that time really is, because it’s rained until this past Sunday.”

Looking at where damage occurred in Lake Linden, the worst spots were where water backed up, then surged, Van Arsdale said. County-wide coordination for a drain system could help aid that, by coordinating culverts to make sure ones higher up aren’t drastically larger than ones below, he said.

“If it’s a unified thing, where one engineer is looking at the whole system and saying, ‘This is the area that needs improvement,’ and working their way up to make sure it’s all coordinated, that would help with that significantly,” he said.

Local municipalities are able to petition to establish a county drainage district, by which the county drain commissioner would assume responsibility for maintaining drainage areas. Establishing the districts could also allow municipalities to apply for more funding, Van Arsdale said.

In other action, the board:

n Approved increasing the fee for Clerk Jennifer Kelly to perform marriage ceremonies from $25 to $50 effective June 1.

n Approved deficit elimination plans for the Houghton County Passenger Facility Charge Fund, Solid Waste Transfer Station Enterprise Fund, and Houghton County Treatment Court. The transfer station will raise rates for services by 9% effective May 1, followed by 1.5% increases with each fiscal year through Sept. 30, 2027.

n Approved the sewer ordinance for the Houghton County airpark and airport.

n Approved 911 expenditures of $24,000 for the Houghton Police Department and $7,000 for Michigan Technological University Public Safety. Houghton will receive three portable 800-megahertz radios, an in-car 800-megahertz radio and Havis system with tablet. Michigan Tech will get an in-car 800-megahertz radio for their EMS vehicle.