CHEBOYGAN, Mich. – A levee break at the Little Black River prompted an evacuation order for parts of the city of Cheboygan on Tuesday afternoon.
It comes as water is rising rapidly at the Cheboygan dam, and the area braces for a possible dam failure.
--> Cheboygan residents urged to evacuate after Little Black River Watershed breach
Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a state of emergency for the area last week, and officials said in a Tuesday evening briefing that topping is expected, with no estimate of the potential economic impact if the dam does fail.
At last check, the water level at the dam is about seven inches below the top of the dam, according to officials at the briefing.
That’s up over 6 inches from Monday.
The National Weather Service says more rain is expected overnight in the area, increasing fears.
“Freaks me out because I didn’t expect the water to go up six inches last night,” Laurie Romanow, who lives directly across from the dam, said.
Romanow has lived there most of her life. She says she’s never seen anything quite like this.
“Never. I was born here in 1961. My family was at that house for 125 years. It’s never looked like this,” she said.
Local 4 spoke with the area’s DNR on Tuesday and received new information.
Tuesday, crews brought in two 24-inch pumps that arrived late Monday night. This is in addition to the six and eight-inch pumps that were there earlier.
“We are still bringing in more pumps,” Laurie Abel, the Public Information Officer for the Incident Management Team at Michigan DNR, said. “We are bringing in another four 18-inch pumps, we are bringing two 16-inch pumps, we are bringing three 12-inch pumps, and we are bringing in four 10-inch pumps.:
They’ve also removed six gates with the crane on your screen.
People have been receiving these emergency alerts all day. One saying all roads in the county are covered with water and urging people to slow down to avoid hydroplaning.
Part of the area is currently in a “Ready” zone. It’s a part of the “Ready, Set, Go” system.
“Ready” means the water is 12 inches below the top of the dam, and people should be ready with a “go” bag.
Sue Elenbaas is all packed.
“In my big bag, I’ve got two sets of clothing. I have my medication,” she said.
Consumers Energy tells Local 4 they are monitoring the situation and may proactively shut off power in parts of the area.
“If there is a breach or a failure and a rush of water, obviously for safety reasons, the power will be shut off,” Jeremy Runstrom, the Emergency Management Director in Cheboygan County, said Tuesday night.
“I would hate to see a dam breach, especially one that holds as much water behind this one, because this is gonna cause massive damage,” Romanow said. “I don’t care what they say.”
The sheriff’s office says anyone in the area should be signed up for emergency alerts.
People can also call 211 to be connected with nearby shelter resources.