Association Calls For Blackout Relief
By George Anderson
The Associated Food Dealers of Michigan are calling for $75 million in disaster relief for the state’s food industry to deal with the losses incurred as the result of last week’s blackout that left much of the East and Midwest without electricity.
Michael Sarafa, president of the Associated Food Dealers of Michigan, said in a released statement, “In spite of the great job that DTE Energy did to restore power and our law enforcement officials efforts to keep order during the recent power outage, our retail food stores suffered great losses.”
“The unfortunate part is that many of the retail food stores that suffered the greatest losses are uninsured or underinsured,” he added.
Moderator’s Comment: Should the government provide
relief to grocery retailers hurt by the blackout?
Michael Sarafa’s answer: “If Governor Granholm is going
to seek federal disaster relief, then part of that equation should include the
businesses that suffered the greatest losses, which includes the retail food
industry.” [George
Anderson – Moderator]