(WWJ/AP) Heavy rains along with high winds are to blame, officials say, as parts of Michigan deal with flooding on Tuesday.
The only area of Southeast Michigan affected so far is Monroe County, where homes are being threatened in shoreline neighborhoods.
Pumps are working overtime throughout sections of Monroe County — including LaSalle Township, Frenchtown Township and Monroe Township. In the Lake Erie area, volunteers were working to battle the high water pouring in to Estral Beach, Grand Beach, North Shores and the City of Luna Pier.
More than a dozen roads in Monroe County were cordoned off due to floodwaters over them, according to the Monroe County Road Commission. Drivers, as always, are urged never to try to drive through flooded streets.
Monroe County Drain Commissioner David Thompson says he set out eleven pumps in areas down the shore of Lake Erie. He said the worst of it is on the north end of the county.
"We expect it to kick back up today as the forecast indicates," he told WWJ's Rob St. Mary, Tuesday afternoon. "So we still have drain personnel in the beaches an we have all of our pumps deployed. So far it hasn't been so significant that we haven't been able to keep up."
A Lakeshore Flood Warning remains in effect for Monroe and Wayne Counties through 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Meanwhile, authorities urged people living along two mid-Michigan lakes and parts of the Tittabawassee River to evacuate their homes following heavy rains that put pressure on dams in the area. Midland County 911 sent out a series of alerts early Tuesday saying the Edenville and Sanford dams were at risk of failing, and those living near Sanford Lake, Wixom Lake and other area waterways should evacuate.
Shelters were set up at two schools. Midland County Emergency Management later said that the dams were "structurally sound," but evacuation measures were still in place. Just to the north in Gladwin County, the National Weather service issued a flash flood warning for the Cedar River below the Chappel Dam.