Dam failure leaves 10,000 fleeing flooding in US state of Michigan

Officials warned that as much as 3 metres of water could flood cities

An aerial view of flooding as water overruns Sanford Dam, Michigan. TC VORTEX via REUTERS

Floodwaters along a street in downtown Sanford, Michigan. TC VORTEX via REUTERS

People living along two mid-Michigan lakes and parts of a river have been evacuated following several days of heavy rain. The Bay City Times via AP

Authorities are no longer being able to control or contain the amount of water flowing through spill gates. MLive.com, The Bay City Times via AP

People living along two mid-Michigan lakes and parts of a river have been evacuated following several days of heavy rain. Midland Daily News via AP

Vehicles and signs are submerged as floodwaters in downtown Sanford, Michigan. TC VORTEX via REUTERS

People help each other travel from one home to another using an inflatable raft on Oakridge Road on Wixom Lake. Midland Daily News via AP

Water floods the Midland Area Farmers Market and the bridge along the Tittabawassee River in Midland, Michigan. MLive.com, The Bay City Times via AP

People use kayaks to assess the damage at homes in their neighbourhood on Oakridge Road on Wixom Lake. Midland Daily News via AP

Rapidly rising water overtook dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people in central Michigan, where the governor said one downtown could be under nearly 3 metres of water” by Wednesday.

For the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered to leave home.

The US National Weather Service on Tuesday evening urged anyone near the river to seek higher ground following “catastrophic dam failures” at the Edenville Dam, about 225.31 kilometres north of Detroit, and the Sanford Dam, about 11 kilometres downriver.

Michigan Governor Gretchen said downtown Midland, a city of 42,000 about 12 kilometres downstream from the Sanford Dam, faced an especially serious flooding threat. Dow Chemical Company’s main plant sits on the city’s riverbank.

“In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately 9 feet of water,” the governor said. “We are anticipating an historic high water level.”

Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Midland County and urged residents threatened by the flooding to find a place to stay with friends or relatives or to seek out one of several shelters that opened across the county. She encouraged people to do their best to take precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus, such as wearing a face covering and observing social distancing “to the best of your ability.”

“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in Midland County,” she said. “If you have a family member or loved one who lives in another part of the state, go there now.”

Emergency responders went door-to-door early on Tuesday morning warning residents living near the Edenville Dam of the rising water. Some residents were able to return home, only to be told to leave again following the dam’s breach several hours later. The evacuations include the towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for Midland County.

“We were back at home and starting to feel comfortable that things were calming down,” said Catherine Sias, who lives about 1.6 kilometres from the Edenville Dam and first left home early Tuesday morning. “All of a sudden we heard the fire truck sirens going north toward the dam.”

Sias, 45, said emergency alerts then began coming through on her phone and people started calling to make sure she was safe.

“While packing, there were tons of police and fire trucks going up and down the roads,” she added. “As far as I know, all of our neighbours got out.”

While driving along a jammed M-30, the state highway that’s the main road through Edenville and that crosses the river north of town, Sias saw the rushing Tittabawassee River. “It was very dramatic, very fast and full of debris,” she said.

Dow Chemical has activated its emergency operations centre and will be adjusting operations as a result of current flood stage conditions, spokeswoman Rachelle Schikorra said in an email.

“Dow Michigan Operations is working with its tenants and Midland County officials and will continue to closely monitor the water levels on the Tittabawassee River,” Ms Schikorra said.

In 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission revoked the license of the company that operated the Edenville Dam due to non-compliance issues that included spillway capacity and the inability to pass the most severe flood reasonably possible in the area.

The Edenville Dam, which was built in 1924, was rated in unsatisfactory condition in 2018 by the state. The Sanford Dam, which was built in 1925, received a fair condition rating.

Both dams are in the process of being sold.

There were 19 high hazard dams in unsatisfactory or poor condition in Michigan in 2018, ranking 20th among the 45 states and Puerto Rico for which The Associated Press obtained condition assessments.

Flood warnings in Michigan were issued following widespread rainfall of 10 to 18 centimetres since Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy runoff pushed rivers higher.

The Tittabawassee River was at 9 meters and rising Tuesday night - flood stage is 7.3 meters. It was expected to crest Wednesday morning at a record of about 11.5 meters.

The heavy rains early in the week also caused flooding elsewhere in the region. In Chicago, water that flooded some areas downtown was receding Tuesday, but Larry Langford, a fire department spokesman, said that he did not expect power to be restored at the iconic Willis Tower for days because the rains caused the building’s subbasements to fill with as much as 7.5 meters of water. The building was closed to tenants and visitors.