MIDLAND, Mich. — After two dams breached Tuesday in Midland County, thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate. However, one hospital has no current plans to do the same.
Edenville and Sanford dams both breached yesterday, after an estimated two to five inches of rain fell in Midland, Bay and Saginaw counties. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Midland County, encouraging residents to evacuate.
"In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately nine feet of water. We are anticipating an historic high water level,” Whitmer said. "This is serious and it is time for people to take action and evacuate. We still need thousands of people to take this action."
The National Guard was called in, bringing in 100 soldiers with high water vehicles and a helicopter to aid in evacuation. The State Emergency Operations Center was activated to help the county deal with the crisis.
While thousands of people have and continue to be evacuated, a hospital in Midland has stated that they have no plans to follow suit.
The MidMichigan Medical Center – Midland announced Wednesday that it plans to continue operation through the crisis.
Flooding, dam breaches in Midland County
“We have been working alongside local agencies, watching closely the rapid changes that have been occurring due to the flooding,” the center’s statement reads. “We have transferred a few patients that were identified by their physician. We have no current plans to evacuate. We continue to monitor the situation as it evolves.”
The emergency room in Midland is also still open, but most other medical centers, clinics and physician’s offices have closed. A full list of closures can be found on the MidMichigan Health website.
Gov. Whitmer gave an update on the state's response to the flooding amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday afternoon.
Watch the full press conference here.
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