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Two government agencies and a Northern Michigan electric cooperative will share $15.8 million in federal assistance for costs incurred as they recovered from a crippling March 2025 ice storm, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Tuesday.
The entities are being refunded for expenses that allowed them to remove debris in order to make roads passable and to restore public safety communications infrastructure that were disabled due to the storm.
Most of the money will go to Presque Isle Electric & Gas, a nonprofit utility based in Onaway that provides power to around 32,000 members in nine counties in the northeastern part of the Lower Peninsula.
The utility is getting $14.7 million, though it says it spent more than $145 million to restore service to customers during the crippling ice storm. PIE&G called the weather event "the most devastating natural disaster" in its history.
The storm coated every distribution line across PIE&G's coverage area with at least an inch of ice while also snapping poles and trees. It took crews more than three weeks to rebuild the utility's entire electric grid, including replacing more than 2,800 utility poles and 3,800 miles of power lines, according to the co-op.
A spokesperson for Presque Isle Electric & Gas didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
The rest of the FEMA award will be distributed to the Charlevoix County Road Commission ($642,000) and the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget ($383,000).
According to FEMA, the road commission will be reimbursed for labor and equipment costs needed to remove debris throughout public roads in Charlevoix County, while the state agency award is for costs to repair damaged communication towers, satellite dishes, electric poles and fiber optic cables throughout the state.
The funds are distributed via FEMA's Public Assistance program, which pays back governments and eligible private nonprofits for costs related to infrastructure restoration and cleanup following emergencies.
The historic ice storm struck northern Michigan from March 28-30, 2025, coating parts of the northeastern Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula with thick ice that toppled countless trees and power lines, knocking out power to around 245,000 customers, according to the Michigan Public Service Commission.
In the days following the wintry blast, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for 27 counties in the Upper and Lower peninsulas.
In July 2025, President Donald Trump approved the state's request for a disaster declaration to help with the cleanup efforts.
The ice storm struck northern Michigan about a year before the region experienced devastating flooding in mid-April.
FEMA noted it is working with state officials to help potential applicants identify and report damage from that disaster to seek reimbursement. Governments and eligible nonprofits have until July 30 to submit applications for assistance.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: FEMA awards $15.8M to agencies for 2025 ice storm recovery
