AUDIO: State help possible for Portage tornado relief

KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – There could be some hope for funding for the victims of the May tornado in Portage.

Kalamazoo County Administrator Kevin Catlin says the money would be coming from the next state budget.

He says about $3 million has been allocated to the Department of Labor and Opportunity and the Michigan State Police for such relief.

He says he has been working with state Senator Sean McCann’s office to get funding from those two buckets.

The money would not be available until after the state’s new fiscal year begins on October 1st.

The city of Portage is appealing FEMA’s rejection of the county’s request for federal relief funding, but with hurricane season still ahead, chances of a reversal seem slim.