Thursday, May 21st

Trump declares emergency for flooded Michigan communities

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER, COREY WILLIAMS and TAMMY WEBBER

Debris fills and surrounds a vehicle trapped under a large slab of asphalt after roads, cars and homes were ripped away following severe flooding in the last two days, as seen on Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Sanford, Mich. Scores of displaced people are staying in shelters after flooding overwhelmed two dams, submerged homes and washed out roads in Central Michigan. (Jake May/MLive.com/The Flint Journal via AP)

MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) - Many Central Michigan residents remained cut off from their homes Thursday even as floodwaters receded, with senior citizens among the scores of displaced people staying in shelters after flooding overwhelmed two dams, submerged homes and washed out roads.

President Donald Trump, who was in Michigan to visit a Ford production plant, signed an emergency declaration authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts.

At Midland High School, 90% of people who slept in the school's gym were senior citizens, said shelter coordinator Jerry Wasserman. He said extra precautions were in place due to the combination of the guests' ages and the coronavirus pandemic.

"We had to deal with COVID and then deal with their angst of what's happened to their house and their pets and all this" Wasserman said Thursday.

Rebecca Johnson cleans the kitchen in her mud-filled home in Sanford, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020. Johnson's home and many like it were flooded after the Sanford dam failed earlier in the week. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)

Volunteers assist evacuated Midland residents at a temporary shelter at Midland High School, Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in Midland, Mich. Floodwaters have overtaken dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people from communities in central Michigan. Families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered to leave home Tuesday evening, the second time in less than 24 hours. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

In Midland, 61 people spent Wednesday night and Thursday morning in temporary shelters, according to city spokeswoman Selina Tisdale. That number - mostly the elderly and families - dwindled throughout Thursday as floodwaters receded and some residents were able to return home, she said.

Dan Roberts, who was a Midland High student more than a half-century ago, spent a few nights at the shelter and said "anyone else who had a place to go went to elsewhere." He planned to go stay with his sister in the Flint area.

"They've been watching after us carefully. It's been a little hectic, but I would not complain at all," said Roberts, a 70-year-old who lives at the Riverside Place senior living community that was overcome with floodwater.

Much of the area remained underwater, including in Midland, the headquarters of Dow Chemical Co. And floodwaters continued to threaten downstream communities.

It could be days before the full scope of damage can be assessed, officials said. No flood-related deaths or injuries have been reported.

"The damage is truly devastating to see how high the water levels are, to see roofs barely visible in parts of Midland, and to see a lake that has been drained in another part," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who toured Midland County on Wednesday.

This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Midland, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020, with floodwaters along the Tittabawassee River. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

The floodwaters mixed with containment ponds at a Dow Chemical Co. plant and could displace sediment from a downstream Superfund site, though the company said there was no risk to people or the environment.

The flooding forced about 11,000 people to evacuate their homes in the Midland area, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of Detroit, following what the National Weather Service called "catastrophic dam failures" at the Edenville Dam, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Midland, and the Sanford Dam, about 9 miles (14 kilometers) northwest of the city.

Wasserman said the uncertainty among those staying at the shelter is "pretty heavy," but he's heartened by the outpouring of support from the community.

"This community just absolutely responded. Overwhelming response," Wasserman said. "And my hat's off to Midland."

View of Wixom Lake, Thursday, May 21, 2020, after the water was drained after the Edenville Dam failed and flood waters rushed south, ravaging the landscape in its path, in Edenville Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Other area residents returned to their homes to find heavy damage. And around Wixom Lake in Midland County's Hope Township, which lost most of its water when the Edenville Dam failed, residents wondered Thursday when, or if, it will be refilled.

"I'm sick about it. You know, I mean, it's just sickening," said resident Glenn Hart, 66, who surveyed the lake with his grandson.

"Usually, that's 21 feet deep out there in the cut," Hart said, pointing from his backyard to the muddy ground that used to be the lake bottom. "Good fishing area. Well, there's no fish now. And we don't know when we'll get water again."

Mark Musselman's home is a total loss. He planned to fly to Florida later Thursday, then drive his motor home back, set it up in the driveway and oversee the tearing down of his house.

"Well, everything's destroyed pretty much," Musselman said. "You know, we had no way of knowing. We had plenty of time. We could have got everything out.

"But we just thought that, you know, it was just going to come up. It wouldn't be any big deal," he said.

The nearly century-old Edenville Dam has been the target of lengthy investigations by federal regulators, who revoked the facility's license two years ago due to non-compliance issues that included spillway capacity and the inability to handle the most severe flood reasonably possible. That year, the state rated the dam, built in 1924, in unsatisfactory condition.

This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows Edenville Dam in Beaverton, Mich., Thursday, May 14, 2020, before it was damaged. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows Edenville Dam in Beaverton, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020, after it was damaged. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

Officials have said the Sanford Dam, built in 1925, was overflowing but the extent of structural damage isn't yet known. It most recently received a fair condition rating.

Both are in the process of being sold

Whitmer said Wednesday that the state would investigate the operators of the dams and "pursue every line of legal recourse we have."

Midland City Manager Brad Kaye said it was fortunate that the Tittabawassee River crested at just over 35 feet (11 meters), about 3 feet (90 centimeters) below the forecast level.

Kaye warned that it could take four or five days for the floodwaters to recede, and asked residents to use caution when traveling or returning to their homes.

"Don't rush out thinking that you can just rush back to your homes, because the water is still there ... this is not over," Kaye said.

The National Weather Service said communities farther downstream should brace for flooding in the coming days. A flood warning was in effect Thursday along the Tittabawassee River from Midland downstream into Saginaw, and flooding in that area was possible through the weekend.

The flooding washed away some roadways, and left others impassable. Tisdale said roads must be inspected for damage that could make traveling hazardous.

"We're working to get information to folks on when they can return to their houses, but stress that a lot of infrastructure gets compromised," Tisdale said.

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Webber reported from Oak Park, Illinois, and Williams reported from West Bloomfield, Michigan.

A look at the Sanford Dam on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. After the Edenville Dam failed and the Tittabawassee River flooded surrounding areas, many residents were urged to leave their homes and to brace themselves for the possibility of the Sanford Dam collapsing. Water flowed over the top of it through the night, but the structure is still in place. (Kaytie Boomer/The Bay City Times via AP)

Josie Nash, 18 of Elsie, works to save fish with her friends by placing them in water buckets and transporting them back into what is left of Wixom Lake on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 in Edenville Township north of Midland. After two days of heavy rain, the Edenville Dam failed and flood waters rushed south, ravaging the landscape in its path. (Jake May/The Flint Journal, MLive.com via AP)

Sanford resident Clint Clark, 44, walks out into what was once the bottom of Wixom Lake after water washed out due to the failure of the Edenville Dam on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 in Edenville Township north of Midland, Mich. (Jake May/The Flint Journal, MLive.com via AP)

Residents walk past boating docks that sit still after water washed out of Wixom Lake due to the failure of the Edenville Dam on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 in Edenville Township north of Midland, Mich. (Jake May/The Flint Journal, MLive.com via AP)

First responders from the sheriff's office survey the flooding in downtown Midland, Mich., on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. After the Edenville Dam failed and the Tittabawassee River flooded surrounding areas, many residents were urged to leave their homes. (Kaytie Boomer/The Bay City Times via AP)

Bob Yahrmarkt, right, stands on his washed out driveway next to his home, Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in Edenville, Mich. Some 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 returned to the area to survey the damage. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Damages are seen on one of two North M-30 bridges on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 in Edenville, Mich. After two days of heavy rain, the Edenville Dam failed and flood waters rushed south, ravaging the landscape in its path. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

People photograph the floodwaters of the Tittabawassee River that encroached on downtown Midland, Mich., Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Floodwaters have overtaken dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people from communities in central Michigan. Families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered to leave home Tuesday evening, the second time in less than 24 hours. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Floodwater reaches the bottom of a stop sign, Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in Midland, Mich. (Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News via AP)

Dan Roberts packs his belongings as he prepares to move out at the temporary shelter at Midland High School, Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Midland, Mich. Roberts, a resident at Riverside Place Senior Living Community was forced out of the complex due to rising floodwaters of the Tittabawassee River. People living along two mid-Michigan lakes and parts of a river have were evacuated following several days of heavy rain that produced flooding and put pressure on dams in the area. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows Sanford Dam in Sanford, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020, after it was damaged. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows Sanford Dam in Sanford, Mich., Thursday, May 14, 2020, before it was damaged. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

A portion of Jones Road in Billings, Mich., is completely gone Thursday, May 21, 2020, after it was decimated by flooding caused by dam failures. (Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News via AP)

Law enforcement officers patrol downtown Midland, Mich. in a rescue boat Thursday, May 21, 2020. Severe flooding was caused by dam failures upstream. (Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News via AP)

Sanford, Mich., residents survey the destruction in downtown Sanford, Thursday, May 21, 2020. The downtown area was decimated by severe flooding caused by dam failures upstream. (Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News via AP)

Sanford, Mich., resident Beverly Stinson is overcome with emotion as she sees the destruction of the home of a friend of hers Thursday, May 21, 2020, in downtown Sanford. Much of the downtown area was decimated by severe flooding caused by dam failures upstream. (Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News via AP)

Brian Matthias' eyes well up with tears Thursday, May 21, 2020, overcome because he is unable to clean out his home along the east shore of Wixom Lake in Michigan because of a recent surgery. "This neighborhood was so beautiful," he said. Severe flooding was caused by dam failures upstream. (Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News via AP)

Steven Karbowski shows on Thursday, May 21, 2020 how high the flood water rose to inside his home. He and his family live in a flood zone on Sturgeon Street in Midland and after the Edenville Dam failed on Tuesday, May 19 and caused the Tittabawassee River to flood majorly, they were forced to evacuate. (Kaytie Boomer/The Bay City Times via AP)

A view of the flooded Sturgeon Avenue and Gibson Street in Midland, Mich. on Thursday, May 21, 2020. The Edenville Dam failed on Tuesday, May 19 and caused the Tittabawassee River to flood many area throughout Midland. (Kaytie Boomer/The Bay City Times via AP)

Steven Karbowski leans on his ramp as he talks about the flood over the past few days on Thursday, May 21, 2020. He and his family live in a flood zone on Sturgeon Street in Midland, Mich. and after the Edenville Dam failed on Tuesday, May 19 and caused the Tittabawassee River to flood majorly, they were forced to evacuate. (Kaytie Boomer/The Bay City Times via AP)

People kayak over the flooded Main Street near H. H. Dow High School in Midland on Thursday, May 21, 2020. The Edenville Dam failed on Tuesday, May 19 and caused the Tittabawassee River to flood many area throughout Midland. (Kaytie Boomer/The Bay City Times via AP)

Kendra Tucker, left, and her sister Melissa McCann, both of Sanford, wade into flood waters as they work to uncover lost family heirlooms and belongings, Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Sanford, Mich. Scores of displaced people are staying in shelters after flooding overwhelmed two dams, submerged homes and washed out roads in Central Michigan. (Jake May/MLive.com/The Flint Journal via AP)

Kylie Yancer, 11, grabs a sweater from a neighboring porch as she helps her mother Melissa McCann and aunt Kendra Tucker, all of Sanford, as they search through flood waters to locate family heirlooms and other belongings, Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Sanford, Mich. Flooding overwhelmed two dams, submerged homes and washed out roads in Central Michigan. The second story of the house is by McCann's aunt and uncle, pictured at back, which was caught in a line of trees about 100 yards away from the house's original foundation. (Jake May/MLive.com/The Flint Journal via AP)

A pile of soaked books lie on the floor on Thursday, May 21, 2020 after the flood water tipped over Steven Karbowski's bookcase. He and his family live in a flood zone in Midland, Mich and after the Edenville Dam failed on Tuesday, May 19 and caused the Tittabawassee River to flood majorly, they were forced to evacuate. (Kaytie Boomer/The Bay City Times via AP)

Sanford resident Connie Methner, owner of CJ's Hairstyling, bows her head as she copes with the damage after water flooded her salon to its ceiling, Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Sanford, Mich. After dam failures upstream this week, water flooded the village, destroying homes and businesses, uprooting trees and crumbling bridges and infrastructure. Methner who has owned the salon for 34 years, said she will salvage what she can. (Jake May/MLive.com/The Flint Journal via AP)

Sanford resident Connie Methner, owner of CJ's Hairstyling, stands in the doorway of her office as she inspects the damage after water flooded her salon to its ceiling, Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Sanford, Mich. After dam failures upstream this week, water flooded the village, destroying homes and businesses, uprooting trees and crumbling bridges and infrastructure. Methner has owned the salon for 34 years, and said she will salvage what she can. (Jake May/MLive.com/The Flint Journal via AP)

A steady flow of people stopped near the Roanoke Industrial Center on 9th Street Southeast to take pictures from the banks of the Roanoke River as it's high and swift waters rushed under the 9th Street bridge on Thursday, May 21, 2020. (Stephanie Klein-Davis/The Roanoke Times via AP)

A steady flow of people stopped near the Roanoke Industrial Center on 9th Street Southeast to park and walk through the wet grass to take pictures from the banks of the Roanoke River as it's high and swift waters rushed under the 9th Street bridge on Thursday, May 21, 2020. (Stephanie Klein-Davis/The Roanoke Times via AP)

Tim Evans, owner of Fieros Forever, inspects the damage to his Lamborghini Diablo kit car that lay in a muddy ditch near downtown Sanford, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020. Evans lost several vehicles due to flooding that occurred after the Sanford dam failed earlier in the week. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)

Dan Forbes takes a rest from cleaning up his mud-filled home in Sanford, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020. Much of Sanford was flooded after the Sanford dam failed earlier in the week, sending debris and wreckage throughout the town. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)

Connie Methner, owner of CJ's Hairstyling, wades through the mud covering the inside of her salon in Sanford, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020. Sanford was hit especially hard after the Sanford dam failed earlier in the week. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)

Rich Cobb, a mechanic, checks out an overturned delivery vehicle in Sanford, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020. Most of downtown Sanford was devastated by flood waters after the Sanford dam failed this week. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP) Senior citizens are among the scores of displaced people staying in shelters after flooding overwhelmed two dams, submerged homes and washed out roads in Central Michigan. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)

A Cadillac sits in a pile of sand as residents and business owners dig out after flooding swept through the town of Sanford, Thursday, May 21, 2020. Senior citizens are among the scores of displaced people staying in shelters after flooding overwhelmed two dams, submerged homes and washed out roads in Central Michigan. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)