MIDLAND COUNTY, Mich. – It’s been eight months since the devastating floods in Midland County. “She did find us for a reason, I believe,” Ashley Flood said. “And so, we actually, we definitely played our part, I think.”On a cold snowy winter day, The Flood family heard a cat outside meowing for hours. “It seemed well fed and its coat was rather clean,” Ashley Flood said. They took the cat to the Humane Society of Midland County and found out the cat was micochipped.

LANSING, Mich. – Labor Day Weekend on Sanford Lake is typically filled with boats and people having fun on the water. After May’s dam failures emptied the lake, many residents are left wondering how long it’ll take to come back. Residents are still hopeful things will return to normal. The state ordered Boyce Hydro -- the owners of the dams -- to make emergency repairs Tuesday, but since the company filed for bankruptcy, the state will likely be forced to foot the bill. Edenville faces Labor Day weekend without their beloved Wixom LakeYou can watch Tim Pamplin’s full stories above in the video players above.

Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday afternoon President Donald Trump declared a major disaster area for mid-Michigan counties affected by widespread and severe flooding and dam failures in May. “Seeing the people and businesses of these communities pull together to help one another after this 500-year flooding event continues to inspire me,” Whitmer said. She later expanded her declaration to include Iosco County. Persistent steady rain resulted in excessive two-day rainfall totals reaching record levels at some locations. MORE: ‘Looked like Niagra Falls’ -- Dam that created Wixom Lake gives way, flooding mid-Michigan communitiesMultiple residents impacted by the flood have taken part of two federal class-action lawsuits filed against the dam owners.

MIDLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel will host a news briefing at 3 p.m. on Tuesday to provide an update on the aftermath of the Edenville and Sanford dam failures and subsequent flooding in Mid-Michigan last month. You can watch the briefing live in the video player above at 3 p.m.Nessel will be joined by the director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Liesl Clark and the director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Dan Eichinger. The briefing comes almost three weeks after nearly 11,000 mid-Michigan residents evacuated their homes due to a massive flooding emergency caused by breaches in the Edenville and Sanford dams. The flood damaged countless homes, businesses and roads in central Michigan. Whitmer requests investigation of dam breach that caused massive flooding in mid-Michigan

Congress demands answers into Michigan dam failuresPublished: June 3, 2020, 5:41 pmA U.S. House of Representatives Committee is now investigating the State and Federal Government’s oversight of the dam failure in Midland County.

DETROIT A U.S. House of Representatives Committee is now investigating the State and Federal Governments oversight of the dam failure in Midland County. Michigan Reps. Debbie Dingle and Fred Upton, along with the House Energy and Commerce Committee is demanding answers within two weeks to specific questions about how the Edenville Dam was inspected and allowed to operate. How did EGLE label the dam in fair structural condition when it took authority back in October 2018? A copy of Dingell and Uptons letter to FERC is available here. A copy of Dingell and Uptons letter to EGLE is available here.

MIDLAND COUNTY, Mich. – On Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was back in Midland County to announce an investigation into why the Edenville and Sanford dams gave way. A week later, piles of debris lined neighborhoods. READ: Shocking mid-Michigan flood pictures show ravaged roads, underwater houses, floating carsNeither of them know if their homes are stable enough to move back into. MORE: More than 800 volunteers visit Midland to help flood victims despite pandemicWatch the video above to hear from Coulson and Mills.

Debris line neighborhoods in mid-Michigan as community deals with damage from devastating floodsPublished: May 27, 2020, 5:17 pmOn Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was back in Midland County to announce an investigation into why the Edenville and Sanford dams gave way.

Gretchen Whitmer held a news conference on Wednesday to provide an update on the state’s response to the historic flooding event in Midland County. “This flooding forced thousands to evacuate their homes, destroyed public infrastructure, ruined homes and businesses, and caused major natural resource damage,” said Governor Whitmer. The Kriegers and Sperlings own adjacent properties and homes on the banks of the Tittabawassee River less than a mile south of the Edenville Dam. Whitmer extended the state of emergency for Midland County to include three additional counties last weekend. U.S. President Donald Trump approved a federal emergency declaration for Midland County last Thursday.

DETROIT NASA released images that show just how devastating the historic flood was in mid-Michigan this week. The natural-color images show flooding across Midland County as observed by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. The slider below shows the Tittabawassee River on May 20, 2020 (right), compared to June 3, 2019 (left). The after photos show the level of water that emptied from dams and rivers into neighborhoods and surrounding areas. Major flooding in Mid-Michigan: How much rain fell, how historic was it?

Homeowners survey devastation of Midland County floodsPublished: May 21, 2020, 12:24 pmAuthorities were assessing damage Thursday as floodwaters from heavy rains that overtook two dams retreated in some mid-Michigan communities and continued to threaten others further downriver.

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. 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. Much of the area remained underwater, including in Midland, the headquarters of Dow Chemical Co. And floodwaters continued to threaten downstream communities. “And my hat’s off to Midland.”Other area residents returned to their homes to find heavy damage.

Gretchen Whitmer has formally requested a federal disaster declaration to open aid to assist in responding to historic flooding in Midland County. “Over the past two days, a major rainfall event in mid-Michigan led to the failure of two dams and severe flooding in affected areas. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate as water surged into their streets, homes, and businesses in the county of Midland,” said Gov. The governor then called on President Trump to declare an emergency for Midland County on an expedited basis. More: Tittibiwassee River crests at 35 feet, could still be days before waters recedeOn May 19, Governor Whitmer declared a State of Emergency in Midland County.

DETROIT President Trump has approved a request for federal aid in response to historic flooding in Midland County. Whitmer sent a letter to President Trump late Wednesday, requesting the declaration. Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding. The governor then called on President Trump to declare an emergency for Midland County on an expedited basis. More: Tittibiwassee River crests at 35 feet, could still be days before waters recedeOn May 19, Governor Whitmer declared a State of Emergency in Midland County.

This photo shows a view of a dam on Wixom Lake in Edenville, Mich., Tuesday, May 19, 2020. The Edenville dam, in Michigans Gladwin and Midland counties, includes a series of earthen embankments totaling about 6,600 feet (2,012 meters) long, with a maximum height of nearly 55 feet (16.8 meters). The Edenville dam's spillway capacity was only about 50 percent of the probable maximum flood, the commission said. Among its other violations: performing unauthorized dam repairs and earth-moving and failing to file an adequate public safety plan, maintain recreation facilities or monitor water quality. The record demonstrates that there is no reason to believe that Boyce Hydro will come into compliance," the commission added.