MICHIGAN DAMS FAIL; THOUSANDS EVACUATED AS WATERS RUSH DOWNSTSREAM
Ron Brackett
- wo dams failed in Midland County.
- Several feet of water covered streets in the town of Midland.
- About 10,000 people in parts of several central Michigan counties were told to leave their homes.
Parts of a Michigan town were under several feet of water Wednesday morning after heavy rains forced two dams to fail, sending water rushing downstream.
The city of Midland was flooded after the Edenville and Sanford dams collapsed. The dams are located about 7 miles from each other along the Tittabawassee River and a series of connected lakes. A state of emergency was declared for Midland County, about 150 miles north of Detroit.
The National Weather Service in Detroit warned of life threatening flooding. The river rose to a record 34.4 feet at Midland Wednesday morning. While the rain had stopped, flood waters released in the dam failures continued to move downriver.
A flash flood emergency was in effect Wednesday morning for areas south of the Sanford dam, including the towns of Sanford and Averill.
About 10,000 people were evacuated from the area Tuesday night, the Associated Press reported. A flood crest was headed for the city of Midland, about eight miles downstream from the Sanford Dam.
Photos posted to social media showed the rushing waters Wednesday morning and a collapsed bridge in Edenville.
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https://weather.com/news/news/2020-05-20-michigan-dams-fail-midland-county-edenville-sanford