Dam failures lead to devastating floods across mid-Michigan

BEAVERTON, Mich. – After dam failures, parts of mid-Michigan could be under 9 feet of water, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday.

LIVE STREAM: Gov. Whitmer provides update on flooding, dam breach in mid-Michigan

A State of Emergency has been declared for Midland County after two dams failed. The Edenville Dam broke and the Sanford Dam was breached late last night, but it did not break. An estimated 10,000 people are evacuating as floods have devastated towns.

Water levels have risen in Beaverton since Wednesday morning. Several families have had their homes and properties destroyed and others have waited to see how much worse the damage will get.

A local farmers market was submerged in eight to 10 feet of water.

When the Edenleville Dam failed and the Sanford Dam was breached, water took out bridges, houses, businesses and more.

Some residents have compared it to the flooding in 2017 and 1986, but they believe the dam failures are worse.

“We just did this and I don’t know how fast we can bounce back this time,” one resident said.



About the Authors
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Nick joined the Local 4 team in February of 2015. Prior to that he spent 6 years in Sacramento covering a long list of big stories including wildfires and earthquakes. Raised in Sterling Heights, he is no stranger to the deep history and pride Detroit has to offer.

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Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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