Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has requested an extension of the major disaster declaration connected to the ice storm that devastated communities in the lower and upper peninsulas. The extension from FEMA will allow local municipalities and jurisdictions to finish response activities and assess the impact and damages from the storm. Most communities are just finishing restoration efforts, there are still communities without power, local damage assessments are also being finished, so now preliminary damage assessments can now begin. Whitmer said that the state would continue coordinating closely with first-responders, local communities, federal partners, and Michiganders on the ground.