Water from the Tittabawassee River breached Edenville and Sanford Dams Tuesday evening.
The heavy rain over the last couple of days was part of the problem, but investigators are also blaming poor infrastructure on the dams. The breach sent evacuation orders to nearly 3,500 homes.
IT'S A 500-YEAR FLOOD DURING A100-YEAR PANDEMIC.A HISTORIC FLOOD... DEVASTATINGTHOUSANDS IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN --AFTERMULTIPLE DAMS FAILED... SENDINGCATASTROPHIC AMOUNTS OF WATERINTO NEIGHBORHOODS,,DOWNTOWN AREAS,, AND ENTIRECOMMUNITIES.FOX 47'S MAUREEN HALLIDAY IS INMIDLAND WITH A CLOSER LOOK ATTHE DISASTER."OH MY GOD IT'S REALLYHAPPENING?
IT'S SOMETHING YOUWOULD NEVER THINK WOULD HAPPEN."WATER FROM THE TITTABAWASSEERIVER BREACHED EDENVILLE ANDSANFORD DAMS TUESDAYEVENINGEVACUATION ORDERS WENT TO ABOUT3500 HOMES.THE HEAVY RAIN WAS PART OF THEPROBLEM -- INVESTIGATORS AREALSO BLAMING POORINFRASTRUCTURE ON THE DAMS."TO ME THAT'S FRUSTRATING TOKNOW THAT WAS SOMEBODY'S JOB TOTAKE CARE OF THAT AND THEYDIDN'T.""I REMEMBER OUR TEACHER ASKEDBEFORE WHAT WE WOULD DO IF THEDAM TOOK OUT ALL OF THE BRIDGESAND NOBODY HAD AN ANSWER.
NOBODYEVER FATHOM THIS WOULD HAPPEN."PEOPLE SEEKING SHELTER ARETRYING TO STAY POSITIVE"IT'S ROUGH BUT EVERYBODY HASBEEN NICE AND HELPFUL.""AT LEAST I HAVE MY FAMILY."THE WATER FLOODING HOMES ANDSTREETS -- EVEN DESTROYING THECURTIS ROAD BRIDGE."AND IT WAS HORRIBLE YOU WOULDHEAR TREES CRACK AND BLOOMS ANDIT WAS DEVASTATING"MOS" WE HAVE SEEN IT ON HISTORYCHANNEL MANY TIMES IN DIFFERENTSTATES DIFFERENT COUNTRIES ANDSAY WOW HOW CAN THAT HAPPEN BUTIT'S REAL."SOME RESIDENTS ARE SHOCKED BYTHE AMOUNT OF DESTRUCTION."OUR SONS, AND THEN WE LEFTTHERE AND HEADED NORTH.
DIDN'TKNOW WHERE WE WERE GONNA END UP.WE ENDED UP IN HARRISON IN OURLITTLE CABIN OVERNIGHT, THENDECIDED TO COME BACK BUT IT'S ALOT OF EMOTIONS.
WE'VE GOT A LOTOF FAMILY HERE.""IT'S CRAZY.
THERE USE TO BE AHOUSE RIGHT THERE AND TWO BARNSAND ALL YOU CAN SEE LEFT IS ONESIDE OF THE FRAMING WORK ON THEPOLE BARN."I'M MAUREEN HALLIDAY, FOX 47NEWSTHE STATE IS SAYING... WATERLEVELS COULD RISE ANOTHER THREEFEET... AND DOWNTOWNMIDLAND COULD BE NINE FEETUNDERWATER BEFORE FLOOD WATERSRECEDE.
THE TITTABAWASSEE RIVERWAS EXPECTED TO CREST SOMETIMETODAY AT 38-FEET.THAT'S ALMOST FIVE FEET HIGHERTHAN THE PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN19-86.YOU CAN GET UPDATES 24-HOURS ADAY ON OUR WEBSITE... "FOX 47NEWS DOT COM