Governor, Whitmer declares a state of emergency for St. Joseph, Branch and Hillsdale Counties…over the impacts of severe thunderstorms and straight-line winds that hit on August 11 and 12. The governor thanked first responders and line-workers…efforting to restore power to the communities hit by the storms. By declaring a state of emergency, all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery efforts in the designated area are now in play. The declaration authorizes the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division to coordinate state efforts with local agencies.