(WWJ) -- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and President Joe Biden are set to meet this weekend in Traverse City to discuss the flooding that left many parts of the city underwater, as the mayor pushes for a federal disaster declaration.
"I will be meeting with the president on Saturday to talk to him about the magnitude of what we're facing, not just with Detroit, but all of southeastern Michigan," Duggan said Thursday as he addressed the flooding.
The mayor says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is required to visit the devastated area before the president is allowed to approve financial aid to help with recovery efforts.
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FEMA is expected to come to Detroit on July 8, according to Duggan, who called that “record speed,” and much faster than the response to widespread flooding in 2014.
The mayor’s announcement on Thursday comes nearly a week after heavy rains pounded southeastern Michigan, flooding homes, roads and wreaking havoc on drains and sewers. Parts of I-94 remained closed this week and officials expect it to last at least another week.
Duggan says Detroit officials have received more than 20,000 calls related to the storm, with reports of 4,800 homes with water in the basement.
He says 71 waste removal crews were out on the streets in the city on Thursday.
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