Whitmer declares emergency in ten northern Michigan counties following severe ice storms

Updated 3/31/25 at 2:45 p.m. 

After a string of ice storms swept across the northern lower peninsula, leaving tens of thousands of residents without power, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center on Sunday to help coordinate response and recovery efforts. 

On Monday afternoon, Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Otsego, Oscoda, Montmorency, Presque Isle, Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Mackinac and Alpena counties to help with response and recovery efforts following the storms that tore through Michigan from Friday night into Sunday afternoon. According to a report from MLive, the storm downed trees and power lines and left roads impassable. 90,000 homes and businesses were left without power at the storm’s peak. 

With the emergency operations center activating at noon on Sunday, personnel have been monitoring the situation and working alongside state and local officials as well as private sector partners to meet any resource needs. The Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division district coordinators have also been on scene with local emergency management officials. 

For information on preparing for an emergency or disasters, the emergency operations center advises residents to visit michigan.gov/miready, where it offers resources for addressing severe cold, winter weather, blackouts and several other hazardous situations.

This story was updated with details on Gov. Whitmer’s emergency declaration.