Emergency manager Vanessa Varner details county response to March ice storm; calls for debris cleanup support

Vanessa Varner, Roscommon County’s emergency management director, gave a detailed timeline and impact summary of the March 15–16 ice storm and the county’s response.

Varner said the county declared a state of emergency March 16 at 7:15 a.m. and subsequently requested a governor's emergency declaration; she reported the county was the first in the state to file and that Governor Whitmer approved the request on March 17. "Our emergency activation center was activated on March 15 in a monitoring and assessing status. We escalated to a full activation on March 16 at 6AM," she said. Varner said power restoration was completed on March 20 and that recovery now focuses on debris cleanup and compost site management.

She provided incident statistics: dispatch took about 2,600 calls between March 15 (6 p.m.) and March 23 (10 a.m.), including 797 well‑being checks and 318 calls about trees down. Varner reported a peak customer outage of approximately 24,325 customers on March 16 and highlighted that outage counts may include multiple service points per property. Eight warming centers opened (four operating continuously at times), Mercy Straps and other volunteer groups provided thousands of meals, and the county conducted nearly 800 well‑being checks for elderly and vulnerable residents.

Board members and township supervisors repeatedly praised the rapid, cross‑agency response, noting first responders, Consumers Energy and volunteers played key roles in restoring service and providing shelter and meals. The board presented Varner a certificate of appreciation and directed staff to continue recovery coordination with state supports for debris removal and homeowner assistance.