INDOT crews deploy to Michigan to assist with ice storm cleanup

Indiana Department of Transportation crews deployed to Michigan over the weekend to assist the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) with cleanup efforts after a catastrophic ice storm in late March caused widespread damage in Northern Michigan. 

Through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a formal agreement between all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 45 INDOT personnel primarily from the agency's Northeast and Northwest districts were dispatched to Michigan. 

“We are proud to assist our neighbors to the north in this time of need,” said INDOT Commissioner Lyndsay Quist. “We are especially thankful to the dozens of INDOT personnel who willingly volunteered to be away from their homes and families to take part in this historic effort.” 

Rural roads across 12 counties in northern Michigan remain closed due to fallen trees, downed power lines, and other debris following the late March storm. INDOT will work alongside MDOT crews to help restore access to these areas that are also largely without power. 

This deployment is INDOT’s first activation as part of the EMAC. INDOT crews are scheduled to return to Indiana on April 18. A group from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security District 4 Task Force was also deployed to provide meals to the crews. All deployment costs are reimbursed by the requesting state.