INSIDER
State says evidence shows owners of failed mid-Michigan dam were negligent
Read full article: State says evidence shows owners of failed mid-Michigan dam were negligentThe Department of the Attorney General filed a motion on Thursday after uncovering crucial facts pointing to negligence among former owners regarding the 2020 failure of the Edenville Dam.
Saginaw County police search for missing man after boat capsizes on mid-Michigan river
Read full article: Saginaw County police search for missing man after boat capsizes on mid-Michigan riverPolice in Saginaw County are looking for a man after his boat capsized Sunday on the Tittabawassee River in Thomas Township.
Michigan man who won $2M lottery jackpot in 2010 found dead in river
Read full article: Michigan man who won $2M lottery jackpot in 2010 found dead in riverA Michigan man who won a $2 million lottery jackpot in 2010 and appeared on the TLC show “Lottery Changed My Life,” was found dead in a Michigan river last weekend.
Crews to lower spillway connected to failed Michigan dam
Read full article: Crews to lower spillway connected to failed Michigan damIn this Wednesday, May 20, 2020, photo, people survey the flood damage to the Curtis Road Bridge in Edenville, Mich., over the Tittabawassee River. (Neil Blake/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)EDENVILLE, Mich. – Crews will begin lowering a spillway connected to a dam that failed last year and contributed to massive flooding in parts of mid-Michigan. The Edenville Dam Tobacco River spillway will be lowered by more than 20 feet (6 meters) starting Feb. 24 to help prevent future flooding, according to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. More than 11,000 people in the Midland area had to be evacuated last May after heavy rains stressed the Edenville Dam, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of Detroit, and the Sanford Dam, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) downriver. The nearly century-old Edenville Dam had been the target of lengthy investigations by federal regulators.
Emergency construction starting on Michigan dam that failed
Read full article: Emergency construction starting on Michigan dam that failedEDENVILLE, Mich. – Crews have started emergency construction work on a portion of a central Michigan dam that collapsed last spring and contributed to flooding that destroyed homes and forced the evacuations of about 10,000 people. Excavation work will be done below the Edenville Dam in Midland County, according to state officials. The dam failed during a steady rain in May, draining Wixom Lake and unleashing the Tittabawassee River, which then overwhelmed the Sanford dam, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of Detroit. Work also is being done inside the Tobacco River spillway in Gladwin and Midland counties to prepare it for being lowered by 21 feet (6.4 meters), officials said. The Edenville Dam is classified as a high hazard dam.
Mothers ashes recovered after being swept away during Midland floods
Read full article: Mothers ashes recovered after being swept away during Midland floodsWhen the village of Sanford was hit by massive flooding in May, Kathy Parsch set out to find her mothers ashes. ORIGINAL STORY: Sanford woman kayaks to floating home swept away by flood to recover mothers ashesSurrounded by unthinkable destruction, there wasnt a dry eye as Parschs ashes were pulled from mud. She was joined by friends on kayaks to paddle through the wreckage to find Parschs home in a river. After visiting the house seven times, Parsch couldnt find her mothers ashes. Her mothers ashes were found the day before Sanford officials would start scooping up debris to haul away.
Communities chip in for family expecting child who lost everything in Midland flood
Read full article: Communities chip in for family expecting child who lost everything in Midland floodCommunities chip in for family expecting child who lost everything in Midland floodPublished: May 27, 2020, 6:18 pmWhen flood waters came through Midland County last week, it pushed Sam and Richie O’Keefe’s home against the post office.
Communities chip in for family expecting child who lost everything in Midland flood
Read full article: Communities chip in for family expecting child who lost everything in Midland floodWhen flood waters came through Midland County last week, it pushed Sam and Richie OKeefes home against the post office. The couple is expecting to give birth to their daughter Sydney Thursday. Everything the family had prepared for baby Sydney was washed away when the dam broke. RELATED: Midland County residents sue state of Michigan over Edenville Dam failureThe couple shared their story on social media and people rushed to help -- one person drove three hours to drop off some baby items. The couple said its overwhelming how helpful others have been for Sydney.
Midland County residents sue state of Michigan over Edenville Dam failure
Read full article: Midland County residents sue state of Michigan over Edenville Dam failureA 28-page complaint was filed in the Michigan Court of Claims by Edenville, Mich. residents David and Andrew Krieger and James and Margaret Sperling. 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. According to the complaint, the 96-year-old earthen embankment failed after several days of heavy rain on May 19, 2020. The complaint states that the failure of the Edenville Dam and subsequent flooding of a large area in Midland County was caused, in part, by a failure of EGLE to order the necessary repairs to the dam. For decades, federal regulators had demanded changes to the design of the Edenville Dam to improve its ability to withstand flooding, and federal regulators had warned since at least 1993 that the dam failed to meet safety requirements, reads the complaint.
Residents, businesses sue dam operator over ruinous flooding
Read full article: Residents, businesses sue dam operator over ruinous floodingIn this Wednesday, May 20, 2020, photo, people survey the flood damage to the Curtis Road Bridge in Edenville, Mich., over the Tittabawassee River. The lawsuit came as yet more residents were forced to evacuate their homes after being overwhelmed by flooding along the Tittabawassee River and conjoining waterways. FeganScott, a law firm that specializes in class action suits, is representing businesses and homeowners affected by the flooding. Officials have said the Sanford Dam, built in 1925, was overflowing during the flooding but that the extent of structural damage wasnt known. Wixom Lake in Midland Countys Hope Township lost most of its water when the Edenville Dam failed.
Flood raises fears of pollution at Michigan toxic waste site
Read full article: Flood raises fears of pollution at Michigan toxic waste siteThe Tittabawassee River flows past the Dow plant and eventually meets the Saginaw River, which continues into Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay. That 50-mile stretch is tainted with dioxins highly toxic compounds that researchers say can damage reproductive and immune systems and cause cancer. Damage from the flood three years ago was minimal and required only minor repairs, EPA's regional office in Chicago said. Dioxins are byproducts of some of the hundreds of chemicals manufactured over the years at the Dow plant, which began operating in 1897. Environmentalists said they were concerned about releases of pollutants aside from dioxins, although Dow said there had been none.
‘Catastrophic’ flooding, evacuations in mid-Michigan as dams fail: What to know
Read full article: ‘Catastrophic’ flooding, evacuations in mid-Michigan as dams fail: What to knowAs of 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Sanford Dam has been breached, but has not broken. The towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland have been evacuated, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for the city of Midland. There have been no reported injuries or fatalities due to the flooding, and no reports of anyone trapped by the high water, Tisdale said Wednesday. Whitmer said Downtown Midland, a city of 42,000 about 8 miles downstream from the Sanford Dam, faced an especially serious flooding threat. The evacuations include the towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for Midland County.
Historic flooding: State of Emergency declared in Midland County
Read full article: Historic flooding: State of Emergency declared in Midland CountyHistoric flooding: State of Emergency declared in Midland CountyPublished: May 20, 2020, 12:14 pmFor the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered Tuesday evening to leave home. By Wednesday morning, water that was several feet high covered some streets near the river in downtown Midland, including riverside parkland, and reaching a hotel and parking lots.
Evacuations underway in mid-Michigan after Edenville Dam breaks
Read full article: Evacuations underway in mid-Michigan after Edenville Dam breaksThe National Weather Service on Tuesday evening urged anyone near the river to seek higher ground following “castastrophic dam failures” at the Edenville Dam, about 140 miles (225.31 kilometers) north of Detroit, and the Sanford Dam, about seven miles (11.26 kilometers) downriver. Emergency responders went door-to-door early Tuesday morning warning residents living near the Edenville Dam of the rising water. The evacuations include the towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for Midland County. The Edenville Dam, which was built in 1924, was rated in unsatisfactory condition in 2018 by the state. The Sanford Dam, which was built in 1925, received a fair condition rating.
Local 4 News at Noon -- May 20, 2020
Read full article: Local 4 News at Noon -- May 20, 2020Heres what you missed on Local 4 News at Noon:Catastrophic flooding, evacuations in Mid-Michigan as dams fail: What to knowFor the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered Tuesday evening to leave home. By Wednesday morning, water that was several feet high covered some streets near the river in downtown Midland, including riverside parkland, and reaching a hotel and parking lots.
Metro Detroit weather: Morning showers with slow improvement
Read full article: Metro Detroit weather: Morning showers with slow improvementThe rain sure came down on Monday and, by day's end, we had a widespread one-to-two inches of rain, with some areas exceeding two inches. Officially at Metro Airport, the 1.71 inches of rain received eclipsed the old May 18th daily rainfall record of 1.50 inches, set in 2000. Wednesday and ThursdayWe finally get back to some sunshine on Wednesday, with highs in the mid 60s (18 degrees Celsius). Interesting Weather StatOver the period from May 8th through May 18th, we set or tied five different daily weather records in Detroit! May 8th: Trace of snow (daily snowfall record)May 9th: 27 (daily record low temp)May 10th: 0.5" of snow (daily snowfall record)May 12th: Trace of snow (daily snowfall record)May 18th: 1.17 of rain (daily rainfall record)
Thousands evacuated as river dams break in central Michigan
Read full article: Thousands evacuated as river dams break in central MichiganFor the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered to leave home. The evacuations include the towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for Midland County. Dow Michigan Operations is working with its tenants and Midland County officials and will continue to closely monitor the water levels on the Tittabawassee River, Schikorra said. The Sanford Dam, which was built in 1925, received a fair condition rating. The Tittabawassee River was at 30.5 feet (9.3 meters) and rising Tuesday night - flood stage is 24 feet (7.3 meters).