Mid-Michigan Flooding Crests At 35 Feet, Whitmer Requests FEMA Help

May 21--Record mid-Michigan flooding following days of storms and the failure of two dams forced the evacuation of an estimated 10,000 residents, who are staying with friends, family and at local shelters.

Rushing waters took out trees, roadways, homes, businesses, the library, the sewer system, electricity -- and part of the City of Midland.

Watch: Overhead footage of historic mid-Michigan flooding

Dozens of roads closed in Midland County due to flooding

Still, the community did get a small reprieve: Floodwaters that were expected to peak at 38 feet, crested at about 4 p.m. Wednesday closer to 35 feet levels the city had ever seen before.

It also stopped raining -- for now.

National Weather Service and U.S. Geological Surveymaps of high river water levels throughout Michigan still showed the potential for flooding throughout the state, including flood warnings on rivers in Southwest Michigan, and a lakeshore flood warning in Wayne County.

The previous high point was 33.9 feet in 1986, which, at the time, was called one of the state's worst natural disasters in modern history.

State seeks help from FEMA

In a letter to President Donald Trump, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is requesting federal aid to respond to catastrophic flooding in Midland County.

Whitmer sent a letter to Trump on Wednesday. They also spoke by phone that day, with Trump telling reporters that federal assistance was already on its way to the area.

Trump tweets support for flood response in Midland

The governor asked for help removing debris and erecting mobile bridges for emergency response vehicles to access in flooded areas and for equipment to aid residents, emergency medical personnel from the National Guard, and technical assistance and sandbags from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"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," Gov. Whitmer said. "Thousands of people were forced to evacuate as water surged into their streets, homes, and businesses in the county of Midland."

Storms began moving across the state, dumping 6-8 inches of rain in two days, causing rivers and reservoirs to swell. Monday, Gladwin and Midland counties declared local states of emergency.

On Tuesday, Saginaw and Arenac counties followed suit.

The deluge of rain led the Edenville and Sanford dams to fail, which Whitmer said were a known problem. She added the state would be looking into, promising to hold people responsible.

Whitmer asks Trump for formal emergency declaration

COVID-19 complicates response

It's hard enough trying to keep Michigan safe in the wake of COVID-19, the worst pandemic in 100 years.

Now there's a flood, what Whitmer called a 500-year event.

"I feel like I've said this a lot over the last 10 weeks, but this is an event unlike anything we've seen before and we've got to continue to all work together to observe best practices, do our part to help one another, and to wear our masks and continue to try to social distance," Whitmer said at a Wednesday news conference.

Watch: Flooding recovery in Sanford, Michigan

She lightheartedly admonished a few members in the audience who weren't standing at least 6 feet apart, but the moment underscored a genuine challenge -- how to handle a natural disaster in the middle of a health pandemic that already has claimed 5,000 lives in Michigan.

First responders are trying to work under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. But some concessions have been made, when thousands of people are relocating to a handful of shelters.

COVID-19 pandemic complicates response to Midland flooding

Dow flooded, no chemicals released

Waters from the deluge in Midland County mixed with containment ponds at the vast Dow chemical plant in Midland, although the situation did not pose harm to people or the environment, the company said Wednesday.

Floodwater mixed with our containment ponds; no chemicals released

Dow announced that floodwaters began "commingling with on-site containment ponds" at the Midland plant at about 10 a.m. Wednesday. The company and the U.S. Coast Guard activated emergency plans.

By the afternoon, company officials said the floodwaters were mixing with an on-site pond used for stormwater and groundwater remediation, no chemicals appeared to have been released.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or [email protected]. Free Press staff contributed.

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