As flood waters continue to play havoc with multiple neighborhoods from Sodus Township to the City of Niles, Berrien County had today declared a Local State of Emergency. Here is what the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department has shared this afternoon:
The Berrien County Board of Commissioners has declared a Local State of Emergency due to the recent flooding issues in numerous communities in the County of Berrien.
This Declaration of a Local State of Emergency is a formality that allows the local municipalizes to utilize County of Berrien resources in their recovery and damage assessments as a result of the natural disaster.
The Local State of Emergency will be forwarded to the State of Michigan in an attempt to make State Resources available to the County of Berrien and the local communities that are being affected by the flooding and the damage caused by this natural disaster.
As the recovery efforts and assessments of the damage caused by this natural disaster continue, the strain on the resources and manpower of the County of Berrien and the local communities are being exhausted and the support of the State of Michigan resources will be a welcome relief for all municipalities.
The County of Berrien is extremely proud of the efforts being put forth by all the local municipalities, their employees, and the various civic organizations over the past couple of days
The County of Berrien also reports that the record setting levels of the Saint Joseph River have crested and are now stable.
The County of Berrien is actively monitoring the river levels, the water levels over various stretches of roadways, and the infrastructures in the County of Berrien and local communities.
At this time, no infrastructures or residents appear to be in immediate danger.
The local State of Emergency is used to let state officials know that the county is undergoing an incident “that is taxing the county’s resources”
This declaration is the first step in tracking activities and damage in case the need would arise to ask for state or federal assistance.
