Emergency funding and disaster recovery in Michigan explained following nine tornados

MICHIGAN -- The National Weather Service confirmed multiple tornados touched down in Michigan in the span of just two days last week.

Between April 14 and April 15, nine tornados touch down in nine counties with the closest one to us in Branch County.

Clayton Cummins, Public Information Officer for the Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Division, says the handling of any disaster starts and ends locally.

"The local emergency managers will then work with the state, who will then do its own assessment of the damage that happened during that disaster. Sometimes FEMA will join in that process. It's a process that we call preliminary damage assessment. Local, state and federal agencies together will, during a preliminary damage assessment, take a look at the damage done during that disaster and sort of rate it on a scale from just minor damage all the way up to major damage in any disaster," Cummins explained.

Cummins says all that information then goes to an overall assessment which helps the governor decide whether federal help is needed. If it is, there's public assistance.

"Public assistance is funding that is available for state, tribal and local governments for any type of disaster and public infrastructure repair," said Cummins.

There's also individual assistance.

"That is assistance that will go to individuals that sustained damage during a disaster," he continued.

He says it's up to the president to decide whether to allocate federal funds to help pay for damage left after a disaster, but there are other options if that doesn't happen.

"Either an event doesn't reach the threshold to request federal funding, or if the president denies that request, it then opens the door to the Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund. That is a state fund in which lawmakers are responsible for finding money to put in that fund to pay for disasters such as tornadoes or flooding. However, just because that fund is there, it does not mean that it is guaranteed."

Cummins tells ABC57 the governor is the one who makes that call about whether contingency funds will be used. The funds cannot exceed $10 million but can't be less than $2.5 million. He also says not every disaster in the state makes it to the federal level.

It's not clear whether a request from recent tornados and flooding will make it to the president's desk.

If your home suffered damage from the recent severe weather, you can report it here.