(WWJ) There's a lesson to be learned from all this, says Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, surveying disastrous freeway flooding in Michigan... and it's going to be an expensive one.
Following drenching storms over the weekend, Whitmer visited I-94 in Detroit, where a roughly 5-mile stretch of the freeway — from Greenfield to I-96 — remains closed due to standing water.
"This is a confluence of decades of underinvestment, and climate change," Whitmer told reporters, standing before a soggy backdrop on Monday. "And I think it's important that as we move forward we continue to work on both fronts."
Whitmer said it's important that we look at the "full context" of this situation, to ensure that Michigan makes policy changes and investments to better prepare our state going forward.
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"Throughout my time in office we've dealth with several states of emeegency regaridng extreme weather events," Whitmer said.
"We faces a polar vortex in 2019... We had a dam fail and historic flooding in Midland last year, and now a 500-year flooding event here in Wayne County, as well as tornadoes that touched down in other parts of our state," she said. "From heavy rainfall the high wind, we know that many parts of our state have been hit by this more recent event of extreme weather."
Whitmer noted that the weekend downpour was concentrated on freeways that are recessed below the ground, which amplified the water accumulation. "And crucially," she added, "it showed us what we already know: Our aging infrastructure needs upgrades and repairs. The storm demonstrated the need to upgrade our infrastructure better than any speech or government report ever could."
Whitmer said the storm also made clear that Michigan must take action, spending big on what she called "climate resilient infrastructure."
What's needed, she said, is comprehensive investment at both the state level and federal level.
"Michigan's is especially vulnerable to climate-induced extreme weather, although we are not alone," the governor said. "Anyone who's looked at the national weather situation knows that in the west they are experiencing historic highs. This is a dangerous moment for much of the United States.
Whitmer said early investment can impact climate change mitigation and build resilient infrastructure "so that we don't see something like this happen again."
In the shorter term, Whitmer said the next step is local communities assessing and articulating the gravity of the damage.
Speaking alongside Whitmer at an afternoon news conference, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan bemoaned that the city got smacked with "more than two months worth of rain in one day."
He said while Detroit's infrastructure was built to adequately handle the storms of the 20th Century, it's just not equipped to function properly in today's changing climate.
With basement flooding reported across the city, Detroit residents who have hazardous standing water in their homes to alert the Detroit Water Department by calling 313-267-8000 or visiting this link.
Duggan urged Detroiters "take pictures and keep receipts," telling residents "there's a good chance that financial help will be coming."
For her part, Whitmer said she "moved quickly," declaring a State of Emergency that will help get boots on the ground for speedy cleanup and repairs, helping families and businesses impacted by the flooding.
"I think you can see how dangerous a flooding situation like this can be with so many cars still submerged," the governor said. "We're grateful again like I said to our first responders that there was not a loss of life, as far as all the information is still coming in."
Whitmer said she's confident that federal assistance is forthcoming.
Want to help? To sign up to volunteer to assist with flooding cleanup in Detroit, go HERE. Anyone in Michigan who needs assistance can call 2-1-1.
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