Michigan Evacuates 10,000+ As Flood Breaches Dams Near Dow Superfund Site

"Urging residents to evacuate and saying downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer late Tuesday declared a state of emergency for Midland County after the Edenville and Sanford dams breached.

Speaking during a press conference late Tuesday, Whitmer said parts of the city of Midland, the village of Sanford, Edenville Township and Dow Chemical had been or were being evacuated. She said officials were working to evacuate residents in Tittabawassee, Thomas and Saginaw townships on Tuesday evening.

Parts of Midland Township, Lincoln Township and Homer Township had also been evacuated, according to alerts on Midland County's emergency management system, with tens of thousands of people potentially affected by flooding along the Tittabawassee River and a flood warning in effect through Wednesday morning."

Angie Jackson and Todd Spangler report for the Detroit Free Press May 19, 2020.

SEE ALSO:

"Dow Shutters Operations in Midland After Michigan Dams Break" (Bloomberg)

"3 Michigan Dams Breached, Another At Risk Amid Midwest Floods" (AP/WILX)

"Thousands Evacuated As River Dams Break In Central Michigan" (Midland Daily News)

"EPA Proposes Plan To Address Dioxin On River Near Dow DuPont Plant" (MLive: Oct. 2018)

"Next Phase of Dow Dioxin Cleanup Coming up, EPA Seeks Public Comment" (MLive: Jan. 2019)

"Feds Revoked Failed Edenville Dam's License In 2018 Over Inability To Handle Big Floods" (Detroit Free Press)

"Feds Revoked Edenville Dam License Over Fears It Could Not Survive Major Flood" (Detroit News)

"From Dow’s ‘Dioxin Lawyer’ to Trump’s Choice to Run Superfund" (New York Times: July 2018)

 

Source: Detroit Free Press, 05/20/2020