(WWJ) What's happening now in Midland, Mich., after two dams failed, sending a rush of water into the city that could put it nine feet under, is "almost unthinkable," according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. She issued an emergency declaration and ordered people in the town of 42,000 about 120 miles north of Detroit to evacuate.
The natural disaster isn't only devastating to residents and business owners who are already reeling under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic, it's also bad news for Dow Chemical, one of the three largest chemical producers in the world, a business headquartered in Midland.
Dow announced the flooding is forcing them to activate emergency plans as a potential surge of water heads toward its large industrial complex. Only essential workers are there
The company “is implementing its flood preparedness plan which includes the safe shutdown of operating units on site,” they announced.
Dow manufactures plastics, chemicals, rubber and agricultural products in about 160 countries, employing about 54,000 people worldwide. They expanded into hand sanitizer during the pandemic. And their headquarters sits on the bank of the Tittabawassee River, which is expected to crest at 38 feet, breaking the record of 33.9 feet set during a 500-year flood in 1986.
“In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under nine feet of water,” Whitmer said. “To go through this in the midst of a global pandemic is almost unthinkable.”
Social media offered support for the essential workers left there to monitor the situation as flood waters surge in.
"Give those employees that must remain on site hazard pay! Stay safe everyone and thank you for trying to protect our community from environmental hazards," Susan Krawczak Johnson wrote on Facebook.