Incredible footage shows the moment a Michigan dam burst last week, draining an entire lake as flood waters left behind a trail of devasta...
Incredible footage shows the moment a Michigan dam burst last week, draining an entire lake as flood waters left behind a trail of devastation for thousands of residents.
In one video, residents are seen recording the Edenville Dam bursting, which started with a large mudslide. Rushing water is then seen gushing out of a 10-yard opening that continued to grow.
Drone footage also shows the entire Wixom Lake in Midland County's Hope Township drained of water due to the dam failure.
Residents and businesses in Central Michigan communities were submerged when the Edenville and Sanford dams failed last Tuesday.
The Tittabawassee River became engorged late Tuesday when the aging dams burst following days of heavy rain.
In one video, residents are seen recording the Edenville Dam bursting, which started with a large mudslide. Rushing water is then seen gushing out of a 10-yard opening that continued to grow
The Tittabawassee River crested Wednesday in Midland - about 20 miles upstream from Spaulding Township - leaving the small city and surrounding areas under several feet of water and forcing about 11,000 people to evacuate their homes
Michigan's Wixom Lake, is shown on Wednesday after dams at the south end of the lake failed
The river crested Wednesday in Midland - about 20 miles upstream from Spaulding Township - leaving the small city and surrounding areas under several feet of water and forcing about 11,000 people to evacuate their homes.
President Donald Trump declared an emergency on Thursday.
According to Midland Daily News, the flooding unearthed a steam-powered shovel that helped create the embankment of the Edenville Dam, which created Wixom Lake.
On Thursday, Mike and Bill Oberloier discovered the shovel, a 1901 Thew model that was powered by steam from either wood or coal.
'This was fun,' Mike said of finding the shovel. 'But our hearts and prayers go to everybody who was devastated by the flood,' Mike told the Midland Daily News.
About a dozen people left their homes in Spaulding Township where some roads and fields are under 4 to 5 feet of floodwater, but some in the community refused to leave despite warnings, Fire Chief Tom Fortier said Friday.
Water stood 2 to 3 feet deep in some houses, Fortier said.
The flooded Tittabawassee and Shiawassee rivers flow into the Saginaw River, and that's presenting a danger for Spaulding Township, about 100 miles north of Detroit.
'The river levels are so high, they are trying to find the lowest spot and that happens to be us,' Fortier said.
The National Guard and fire departments were filling about 3,000 sandbags to hold back the water.
Several homes were damaged in Midland, but no one has been injured or killed. Selina Tisdale, a Midland city spokeswoman, said that displaced residents are allowed to return home if it is safe to do so.
On Friday, residents and businesses sued the operator of the dams and two state agencies charged with overseeing the structures.
Drone footage also shows the entire Wixom Lake (pictured) in Midland County's Hope Township drained of water due to the dam failure
Sunny Clark, center, her husband Clint and their 8-year-old son Caron, all of Sanford, explore together as they walk along what was once the bottom of Wixom Lake
The Edenville Dam failure caused the drainage of the entire Wixom Lake last week
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Detroit and alleges that the dams' operator, Boyce Hydro, 'failed to operate, fix, or repair the dams in accordance with the established standard of care, resulting in catastrophic injury and damage to residents and their properties'.
The lawsuit also names the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages in excess of $75,000. FeganScott, a law firm that specializes in class action suits, is representing businesses and homeowners affected by the flooding.
The Associated Press sent an email Friday seeking comment from Boyce Hydro. Representatives of both state agencies declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
A second class-action lawsuit was also filed on Friday against Boyce Hydro and manager Lee Mueller.
Morgan & Morgan, Grant & Eisenhofer, and the Jenner Law offices, attorneys in the lawsuit, say the flooding was preventable.
'Despite knowing the threat posed by these unsafe dams, the defendants allegedly refused to pay for much-needed repairs and upgrades,' stated Frank Petosa, spokesman for the law firms.
The nearly century-old Edenville Dam has been the target of lengthy investigations by federal regulators.
Officials have said the Sanford Dam, built in 1925, was overflowing during the flooding but that the extent of structural damage wasn´t known.
Flood damage to Michigan Highway 30 is seen at Wixom Lake in Michigan, on Wednesday after floodwaters took out the bridge
Law enforcement officers patrol downtown Midland, Michigan, in a rescue boat on Thursday
A portion of Jones Road in Billings, Michigan, was completely washed away by flooding caused by dam failures
Chunks of asphalt rest broken apart after flood waters decimated the bridge in downtown Sanford, Michigan
Sanford resident Kendra Tucker wipes away muck after finding a family photo for her aunt and uncle after their home was washed away in flood waters
Dow Chemical is headquartered in Midland and it has a plant next to the river.
When the river crested, the floodwaters mixed with containment ponds at the Dow plant and the company admitted the flooding could displace sediment from a downstream Superfund site, though it said there was no risk to people or the environment.
The US Environmental Protection Agency said state officials would evaluate the plant and that Dow must to assess the Superfund site - contaminated with dioxins the company dumped in the last century - to determine if any contamination was released.
On Friday, Dow and its foundation announced a $1million donation for flood recovery efforts.
Dow said $250,000 will go to an assistance fund to help Dow employees directly hit by the flooding and $250,000 will go to the United Way to provide resources for Midland County families affected by the flooding.
Another $500,000 will be allocated for needs that surface throughout the recovery and rebuilding phase.
With more rain forecast early next week, officials are keeping their eyes on the skies and the ground.
'With the area being so wet, any added rain is a concern,' said Nick Assendelft, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
Water levels on two lakes - Secord and Smallwood - behind two other dams 'have been brought down somewhat to take pressure off those facilities so their conditions can be assessed,' Assendelft said.
'The last thing we need now is for there to be another rain event anywhere close to what we had earlier this week.'
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