Looking back on the Midland flood of 2020

Posted on by farlane

Swinging the Arch into Position by Charles Bonham

Five years ago yesterday, the City of Midland was devastated by the collapse of the Edenville & Sanford dams. If you’re wondering whether or not the State of Michigan taken this tragedy to heart, the answer according to this mLive article appears to be “Nope”:

“Did we really use Midland to do deep learning and then change our regulations and invest in this infrastructure time bomb?” said Bryan Burroughs, executive director of Michigan Trout Unlimited and a member of a former task force that issued a suite of mostly unrealized recommendations on dam safety after Edenville.

“Not dramatically, not significantly.”

…Republicans and Democrats pledged action. Lansing politicians secured large sums to rebuild the mid-Michigan dams, channeled smaller pots of money to other dams and added state inspectors. But corresponding dam safety reforms were introduced and quickly faded away. “We’re still at the starting blocks waiting for the gun to go off with dam safety in Michigan,” said Bill Rustem, a former task force member and advisor to Michigan governors William Milliken and Rick Snyder.

Lots more in mLive & also check out the latest in the case of Midland residents & businesses vs the State of Michigan in the Detroit News.

Charles shared a ton of photos with us during the Midland Flood of May 2020, so I thought it would be a great time to check back and see how things are looking lately! See more lovely spring pics in Charles’s Dow Gardens gallery on Flickr!

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When the Dams Broke in Midland

Posted on by farlane

Ashman Road Level by Charles Bonham

Four years ago the city of Midland and surrounding area was inundated by a 500-year flood. I thought this story by Anna Clark in Belt Magazine about the experience of the Director of the Grace Dow Library in Midland when the dams broke was an interesting angle through which to view this devastating event.

The failure of the dams was the end result of years of deferred maintenance, negligence, and federal and state regulation unable to prevent a life-changing deluge. It threatened public safety, homes, senior residences, schools, and businesses, all of which were already vulnerable from the coronavirus pandemic.

Charles took this photo in downtown Midland right the day after the flood on May 20th. You can see lots more in his Midland, Sanford & Edenville MI Flood of June 2020 gallery on Flickr!

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Midland waters receding but still very high

Posted on by farlane

Kayaking During The Flood by Charles Bonham

Kayaking During The Flood by Charles Bonham

mLive has some positive news in the catastrophic Midland flood of 2020, reporting that Midland officials say the river will crest 3 feet lower than expected:

Officials stressed that although the water is receding, it will take several days and residents should remain vigilant. It’s possible “we won’t even hit the 24-foot flood stage until the end of the weekend or later during Memorial Day,” Bone said.

“It’s essentially a mess out there and it isn’t safe to drive around barriers or travel on the roads that are deemed closed,” he added. “Everybody please stay safe and do your best out there and we’ll get through this.”

Kaye said things have changed quickly since officials last addressed reporters Wednesday afternoon, when they were predicting the river to crest at 38 feet at about 8 p.m. Soon after, an updated forecast moved the flood peak back by about three feet and about four to five hours.

“At this point in time, by all models, by all indications, at least, we’re cautiously optimistic that we’ve crested…we’ve kind of plateaued right now, but we will start the descent as water starts to recede,” Kaye said. “That’s great news for the county, for the city, certainly for the residents and business owners that are in the affected areas.”

More from mLive & also check out their comprehensive timeline of the flooding. Check yesterday’s Michigan in Pictures post on Facebook for more photos of the devastation in the comments. Stay safe, Midlanders & everyone!

Thanks to Charles for this shot & see more photos including this view down Ashman Street on his Flickr!

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Midland Under Water: Record Flooding in May 2020

Posted on by farlane

2020 Flooding in Midland MIchigan by City of Midland

2020 Flooding in Midland by City of Midland

“While the 1986 flood was a 100-year flood, what we’re looking at here is an event that is the equivalent of a 500-year flood. It’s something that is extremely rare, extremely catastrophic and quite dangerous.”
– Midland City Manager Brad Kaye

The Detroit Free Press reports that by the time you’re reading this, downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water as the result of two dam breaches on the Tittabawasee River:

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.

…Whitmer said at a 10 p.m. briefing Tuesday that state officials expected the worst over the next 12-15 hours with as much as 9 feet of water in downtown Midland, the largest city in the area with about 40,000 residents and the home to Dow Chemical.

“This is unlike anything we’ve seen before… but this is truly a historic event that’s playing out in the midst of another historic event,” Whitmer said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic which has led to stay-at-home orders throughout the state and the deaths of more than 5,000 people.

Several dams upstream of Midland along the Tittabawassee had either been breached or were releasing water uncontrollably after 4 to 7 inches of rain fell Sunday and Monday, including the Edenville and Sanford dams on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people in mid-Michigan.

Read on for much more in the Freep & you can also tune in for a live Facebook update from the city later today. Here’s some photos & a drone video of the flooding via mLive:

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