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Sanford residents band together to clean up destroyed main street

Mid-Michigan homes, roads destroyed by massive flooding after dam failures

SANFORD, Mich. – Every business along the main street in Sanford has been damaged by the flood.

A new energy can be found Friday on Saginaw Road as residents help clean and fix their community.

READ: ‘Catastrophic’ flooding, evacuations in mid-Michigan as dams fail: What to know

“All I could think of was that it looked like a war zone,” said Pam Riggie, with Sanford Pizza.

Not only is Sanford Pizza destroyed, photos inside of Riggie’s late father were also washed away.

“I had a collage of him by the register -- that’s where I lived -- gone," Riggie said. "My son came in and he found his ashes. He salvaged that for me.”

Massive flood waters slammed into the mid-Michigan village when a dam up-river failed Tuesday.

RELATED: NASA images show difference in rivers, dams after flooding in mid-Michigan

Every business was hit hard. Sanford Pizza’s pizza off was tossed through the back wall.

“Never in a million years would I think this would happen,” Riggie said.

The customers who came for pick-up to help the business stay afloat during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders returned Friday to help clean up.

“It is the same way with other businesses," Riggie said. “It is the community that pulls together.”

MORE FLOOD COVERAGE:


About the Authors
Shawn Ley headshot

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Dane Kelly headshot

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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