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| © Kaytie Boomer/The Bay City Times/AP This photo shows a view of a dam on Wixom Lake in Edenville, Mich., Tuesday, May 19, 2020. People living along two mid-Michigan lakes and parts of a river have been evacuated following several days of heavy rain that produced flooding and put pressure on dams in the area. (Kaytie Boomer/The Bay City Times via AP) |
By Rob Frehse, Kristina Sgueglia and Christina Maxouris, CNN
Thousands are under evacuation orders in mid-Michigan Wednesday morning, a day after two dams failed following heavy rain across the state.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Tuesday night for Midland County after both the Edenville and Sanford dams breached and urged immediate evacuations.
"If you have a family member or loved one who lives in another part of the state, go there now," she said. "If you don't, go to one of the shelters that have opened across the county."
Residents should "seek higher ground" as far east and west of the Tittabawassee River as possible, according to the city of Midland's website.
"In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately 9 feet of water," Whitmer said Tuesday night in a news conference. "We are anticipating an historic high water level."
The flooding comes amid the coronavirus pandemic, forcing officials to juggle two public safety crises at once. Shelters have been established, and flood evacuees are being screened for the illness.
Any emergency order issued in response to the coronavirus crisis is suspended if it impedes emergency response efforts, the governor's declaration said.
The National Weather Service in Detroit said a flash flood emergency continues in Midland County through 7:30 a.m. ET Wednesday.
The Tittabawassee River set a record Wednesday morning, surging at Midland past the old mark of 33.89 feet, set in September 1986. The river still was rising, and is forecast to crest there around 38 feet by around 8 p.m. ET before slowly receding.
Thousands are under evacuation orders in mid-Michigan Wednesday morning, a day after two dams failed following heavy rain across the state.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Tuesday night for Midland County after both the Edenville and Sanford dams breached and urged immediate evacuations.
"If you have a family member or loved one who lives in another part of the state, go there now," she said. "If you don't, go to one of the shelters that have opened across the county."
Residents should "seek higher ground" as far east and west of the Tittabawassee River as possible, according to the city of Midland's website.
"In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately 9 feet of water," Whitmer said Tuesday night in a news conference. "We are anticipating an historic high water level."
The flooding comes amid the coronavirus pandemic, forcing officials to juggle two public safety crises at once. Shelters have been established, and flood evacuees are being screened for the illness.
Any emergency order issued in response to the coronavirus crisis is suspended if it impedes emergency response efforts, the governor's declaration said.
The National Weather Service in Detroit said a flash flood emergency continues in Midland County through 7:30 a.m. ET Wednesday.
The Tittabawassee River set a record Wednesday morning, surging at Midland past the old mark of 33.89 feet, set in September 1986. The river still was rising, and is forecast to crest there around 38 feet by around 8 p.m. ET before slowly receding.
10,000 people evacuating amid pandemic
About 3,500 homes and 10,000 people have so far been affected by the evacuation notices, Mark Bone, chairman of the Midland County Board of Commissioners, said he believes. No deaths or injuries have been reported, he said.
Teams are trying to screen people arriving at the shelters, Bone said, and emergency personnel have plenty of personal protective equipment and are wearing masks.
Teams are trying to screen people arriving at the shelters, Bone said, and emergency personnel have plenty of personal protective equipment and are wearing masks.
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| © Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News via AP Mark Musselman brings a chair to the front of his house on Tuesday in Edenville, Michigan. |
Masks are available for everyone going into the shelters, he said.
"To go through this in the midst of a global pandemic is almost unthinkable. But we are here, and to the best of our ability we are going to navigate this together," Whitmer said.
"Please, to the best of your ability, continue to wear a face covering when you go to a shelter or go stay with a friend or relative," Whitmer said.
The Michigan Army National Guard is on site, with 100 soldiers doing inspections around the area, Whitmer said.
MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland said it was not evacuating.
"We have been working alongside local agencies, watching closely the rapid changes that have been occurring due to the flooding," said Greg Rogers, the president, in a news release.
"We have transferred a few patients that were identified by their physician. We have no current plans to evacuate."
The hospital said it has made improvements to protect the hospital since the flood of 1986, which include a FEMA-approved flood wall located on medical center property and generators built above the flood plain.
"To go through this in the midst of a global pandemic is almost unthinkable. But we are here, and to the best of our ability we are going to navigate this together," Whitmer said.
"Please, to the best of your ability, continue to wear a face covering when you go to a shelter or go stay with a friend or relative," Whitmer said.
The Michigan Army National Guard is on site, with 100 soldiers doing inspections around the area, Whitmer said.
MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland said it was not evacuating.
"We have been working alongside local agencies, watching closely the rapid changes that have been occurring due to the flooding," said Greg Rogers, the president, in a news release.
"We have transferred a few patients that were identified by their physician. We have no current plans to evacuate."
The hospital said it has made improvements to protect the hospital since the flood of 1986, which include a FEMA-approved flood wall located on medical center property and generators built above the flood plain.
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| © Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News via AP Floodwater surrounds Wixom Lake Gas & Launch on Tuesday along the Tittabawassee River in Beaverton, Michigan. |
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