News photo by Josh Jambor Flooding near the intersection of Princeton Avenue and St. Onge Street on April 15 flooded roads, yards, and many people’s basements. Now, federal, state, and local officials will begin assessing the damage caused by the flooding.

ALPENA – Federal, state, and local officials kicked off joint preliminary damage assessments (PDAs) on Tuesday across 31 Michigan counties, including Alpena, Presque Isle, Alcona, and Montmorency counties.

The assessment will survey the widespread impacts of April’s severe spring flooding and tornado activity.

Teams from the Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be fanning out to evaluate damage to homes, businesses, and public infrastructure.

Emergency Management Director for Alpena County, Nic Modrzynski, will be escorting officials around the Alpena area where flooding was the worst and caused damage.

“Officials are making their way down state, south to north, the timeline for when they will be in the Alpena area is unknown at this time,” Modrzynski said. “Basically, how it will work is I will accompany officials through Alpena, areas like Circle Drive, behind Perch’s, and Golf Course Road to name a few, and go from there.”

Modrzynski explained what officials will be looking for and what is considered a natural disaster.

“Your basement flooding from high water is not what they are looking for, they are looking for areas where water rose up from the river and it went where it’s not supposed to, those types of situations,” Modrzynski said.

Damage assessments in Michigan follow a structured, multi-level process, moving from local reporting to state verification and finally federal, joint evaluations to determine eligibility for disaster assistance

The data collected will help determine whether Gov. Gretchen Whitmer can request a federal disaster declaration, potentially unlocking FEMA individual assistance and public assistance grants for affected residents and communities.

The assessments come roughly one month after heavy rains combined with rapid snowmelt sent rivers and streams surging across Northern Michigan in mid-April. Many areas saw water levels rise to historic or near-historic levels, forcing local states of emergency, road closures and temporary evacuations.

In Alpena County, the flooding overwhelmed roads and culverts in ways that went far beyond typical Spring runoff. Genschaw Road between Princeton and Long Rapids collapsed entirely in one section, while other roads including Woodward, Princeton, Sunset, Patridge, Gilchrest and others were closed or heavily damaged.

The Alcona County Road Commission reported at least 14 roads washed out, with asphalt stripped away, culverts swept downstream, and shoulders eroded into spongy, impassable conditions.

While northern Michigan typically sees seasonal high water every spring, the combination of above-average precipitation and melting snow this year created an overwhelming volume that many culverts and roadbeds simply could not handle.

Alpena County and neighboring communities now turn their attention from emergency response to long-term recovery. Successful federal aid could help accelerate road and culvert repairs, support homeowners with flooded basements and mitigate future flood risks.

The News will provide updates on the assessments locally when additional details on the process are available. Updates will also be posted on the state’s 2026 Statewide Flooding Dashboard.