Gov. Whitmer: Downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by Wednesday

[Michael Rielly]

Gov. Whitmer: Downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by Wednesday

Angie Jackson and Todd Spangler
Detroit Free Press
May 20, 2020

EXCERPT:

Urging residents to evacuate and saying downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer late Tuesday declared a state of emergency for Midland County after the Edenville and Sanford dams breached.

Speaking during a press conference late Tuesday, Whitmer said parts of the city of Midland, the village of Sanford, Edenville Township and Dow Chemical had been or were being evacuated. She said officials were working to evacuate residents in Tittabawassee, Thomas and Saginaw townships on Tuesday evening.

Parts of Midland Township, Lincoln Township and Homer Township had also been evacuated, according to alerts on Midland County's emergency management system, with tens of thousands of people potentially affected by flooding along the Tittabawassee River and a flood warning in effect through Wednesday morning.

Whitmer said at a 10 p.m. briefing Tuesday that state officials expected the worst over the next 12-15 hours with as much as 9 feet of water in downtown Midland, the largest city in the area with about 40,000 residents and the home to Dow Chemical.

"This is unlike anything we’ve seen before... but this is truly a historic event that's playing out in the midst of another historic event," Whitmer said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic which has led to stay-at-home orders throughout the state and the deaths of more than 5,000 people.

SOURCE: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/05/19/edenville-dam-sanford-dam-flooding-michigan/5226321002/

 

[Michael Rielly]

This is RIGHT next to the Santa Claus House!

[Santa Timothy SC]

Prayers for everyone in Midland especially Tom and Holly Valent 

My wife just texted this to me:

“Did you hear about Dams breaking in Midland, Michigan? Santa 🎅 School could be under 9’ of water by this afternoon .
So sad. Tom has been through his wife’s cancer, pandemic and now flooding! My heart and prayers go out to all in Midland.”

🙏

[SantaDBC]

Adding them to our prayers 

Edited May 20, 2020 by SantaDBC

[Santa Bruce Geron]

I had a call with Tom this afternoon. He and Holly are fine. The Midland Santa House is dry.

Personal comment; please keep them and the citizens of Midland County in your prayers.

[Drosselmeyer]

Fred posted this just under an hour ago on FB - the water is up to the back of the Santa house property - news reports are saying the water could crest another 4 feet higher by the end of the day . . . 

[SCSanta]

Prayers for all concerned...

 

[Felix Estridge]

Tom's & Holly's son, Joe, and his wife, Kate, flew today from DFW airport to Midland to help them with their displacement.  All the information being posted is that the Santa House will remain unscathed.  Tom's & Holly's home, on the other hand, is probably not.

[Santa Johnny Boy]

Prayers for the people of Midland and all who are affected.

[Drosselmeyer]

news from late last night looks like the water stopped at about 35 feet - but have not seen any newer updates - does anyone have any more recent reports ???  Updates on Tom and Holly ??

Forecast indicates that Michigan's Tittabawassee River will no longer crest

From CNN’s Judson Jones  

According to a forecast by the National Weather Service in Detroit, the Tittabawassee River in Michigan is expected to fluctuate around 35 feet for the next several hours before starting to drop around midnight. 

A previous forecast predicted that the river could crest at 38 feet Wednesday.

The river had already surpassed the previous record of 33.89 feet, which was set during a major flood in the city in 1986.

At that height alone, the river will be flooding many homes, the NWS previously said.

Some context: The last NWS observation was 34.83 feet at 4:30 p.m. ET and has been near this level for the past few hours.

At one point, the river hit 35.05 feet around 12:30 p.m., which may have been the crest.

Source:  https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/michigan-dam-flooding/index.html

[Drosselmeyer]

just saw this on FaceBook - - does anyone have news if Tom and Holly are OK ??

The Santa House remains untouched!

Every year Santa returns to the Santa House where he spreads cheer to thousands of Midlanders and visitors from beyond. The Santa House overlooks the river from an adjacent hill. Santa will be happy to know his house has not been touched by the tides that have risen. The elves have written to say he’s excited to return later this year to spread cheer and the Spirit of Christmas to a community in need of joy. Stay strong, Midland.

 

[Drosselmeyer]

Fred Honerkamp just shared this update on FB :

 

The flooding has started to recede. We can’t thank everyone enough for the prayers and good wishes.

The damage to our community is beyond comprehension. Thousands lost everything (without insurance) but lives were spared. It is easy to say the “things” can be replaced but that isn’t true. As one woman explained, “I am retired and my house was fully paid with our life savings..and now it is gone..an my insurance agent said that we have no coverage”.

The Santa House is safe. Tom and Holly had to evacuate their home but they are safe. Holly is up North with Caroline. Tom returned to Midland and is being joined by Joe, who flew up from Texas to help. They anticipate that water breached the garage, basement and, perhaps, first floor. They have not been allowed to return to check the damage. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

The CWH Santa Community has been wonderful. Teams of Santa’s, who love Midland, have volunteered to come and help. You volunteered to move thing out of the Santa House. You volunteered to help with the cleanup. You have been praying for us and encouraging us. We can’t thank you enough💕

Please don’t come to Midland. Hotels are overflowing with families that lost their homes. Restaurants are not open or have take out only. Our hospital is closed. Bridges and roads are washed out. Sewer, water and electricity are out for two thirds of the city.

For those of you who want to reach out, and have the means to do so, please consider giving to the Midland Area Community Foundation Flood Relief Fund or the Santa House Fund.

[Felix Estridge]

An update from Joe Valent on his parent's house & surrounding dwellings:

"We had 3ft of flooding in basement. Although lots of damage to barns and valuable items. Reindeer are safe. We have the help needed to clear out the basement floor and barns. We made out very well compared to some neighbors. Thank you for all your consideration. I will keep you posted if we need additional help."