** UPDATE 5/20 — Downtown Midland Underwater; 10,000 Evacuated After Dams Fail; Gov. Whitmer Declares State of Emergency **
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EDENVILLE, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - Residents in two mid-Michigan communities were ordered to evacuate Tuesday after a dam failed following heavy rains.
The Edenville Dam along the Tittabawassee River in Gladwin County breached at around 5:45 p.m, according to authorities.
The National Weather Service called it a "life-threatening situation" as everyone in Edenville and Sanford was advised to get to higher ground.
An alert sent out by the City of Midland stated: "Residents in Edenville and Sanford must IMMEDIATELY EVACUATE. City of Midland residents: We will update you on next steps as soon as possible. Please stay tuned."
Around 7 p.m., authorities issued another warning that the Sanford Dam was about to collapse. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
A Flash Flood Warning and Flash Flood Emergency were issued for those areas.
The evacuation order came after an earlier alert sent sent to residents warned that the dam was in "imminent danger."
According to the Weather Service, areas around Midland reported 3 to 4 inches of rain since Sunday, which produced a "tremendous" amount of runoff, causing significant rises on the river system.
Two Midland-area schools were opened Tuesday morning for evacuees and more than 50 roads have been closed. Volunteers at the schools said about 120 vehicles were in the parking lots and about 30 people had been staying on cots inside.
The evacuations followed days of heavy rains in parts of the Midwest that also brought flooding to Chicago and other parts of Illinois, as well as Ohio and other states.
Forecasters said the rain in combination of high winds was what led to flooding in several areas of Michigan. A Lakeshore Flood Warning was issued for Monroe, Wayne and Macomb Counties until 10 p.m.
