By Elisha Fieldstadt and The Associated Press
About 10,000 people in central Michigan were told to evacuate their homes after rapidly rising water overwhelmed dams, creating what the National Weather Service called a "life-threatening situation."
"Seek higher ground now!" the weather service in Detroit warned those near the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County on Tuesday night, saying a flash flood emergency would be in place until the morning after “catastrophic" failures of the Edenville and Sanford dams.
The Tittabawassee River is expected to crest at 38 feet in Midland on Wednesday morning, breaking the record of 33.9 feet set during a 500-year flood event in 1986.
“If you have not evacuated the area, do so now and get somewhere safe,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, while declaring a state of emergency.
Freeland resident Cyndi Ballien walks up to get a closer look as heavy rain floods North Gleaner Road near its intersection with Tittabawassee Road on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 in Saginaw County, Mich.Jake May / The Flint Journal via APWhitmer said Tuesday night that downtown Midland, a city of 42,000 about 120 miles north of Detroit, faced an especially serious flooding threat.
“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.”
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in Midland County. If you have a family member or loved one who lives in another part of the state, go there now. If you don’t, go to one of the shelters that have opened across the county," Whitmer said.
Dow Chemical Co.'s main plant sits on the downtown Midland's riverbank. A spokeswoman said the plant has activated its emergency operations center and will be adjusting operations as a result of flood stage conditions.
It was the second time in 24 hours that many families in the area were told to leave their homes.
Emergency responders went door to door early 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 a mile from the Edenville Dam and first left home early Tuesday morning. “All of a sudden, we heard the firetruck sirens going north toward the dam.”
Sias, 45, said emergency alerts then began coming on her cellphone and people started calling to make sure she was safe.
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