Touring the destruction caused by dam failures in mid-Michigan from the above

MIDLAND COUNTY, Mich. – In an event like this, you really get the true scope of what’s happened from the air -- the damage runs on for miles.

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The images are chilling -- buildings are submerged and towns have become lakes because the dams couldn’t withstand the rising water.

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In Edenville, roads are washed away with big chunks missing. Local 4 captured video of a man dangerously walking over downed trees to join a group gathered near a steep drop-off that was once a bridge.

Cars, trucks, homes, and buildings have been completely destroyed in Edenville and Sanford.

Only the rooftops of school buses can be seen in Sanford.

In Midland -- the area’s largest city -- water rose around the three-way pedestrian bridge landmark in the city’s downtown.

MORE: Tim Pamplin tours mid-Michigan flood damage: ‘Roof of a house. No idea where rest of the house is’