FEMA denies request for disaster relief after 4 MI tornadoes [Video]

PORTAGE (WWJ) — The federal government has denied disaster relief for Southwest Michigan after multiple destructive tornadoes hit the area in May.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wrote to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says that, that based on the information that it had been given, it decided the storm damage was not of “such severity and magnitude” as to be beyond the capabilities of the state, affected local governments and voluntary agencies.

Portage City Manager Patrick McGinnis said he was surprised and disappointed by the denial.

“When you’re here in Portage and you’re looking at it every day, and we still have such a long, long road ahead of us to get people back on their feet, it was a little big stunning,” McGinnis said, in an interview with WWJ Newsradio 950’s Beth Fisher.

“It’s important to note that, you know, the request is for individual assistance; this isn’t for …