Over 10,000 Evacuated from Central Michigan as Dams Fail

Thousands of residents of central Michigan have been advised to evacuate immediately Tuesday evening after floodwaters caused two dams to fail.

A state of emergency was declared for Midland County, about 150 miles north of Detroit. A flash flood emergency was in effect Wednesday night for the entire length of the Tittabawassee River in Midland County after the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams.

About 10,000 people were being evacuated from the area, the Associated Press reported. A flood crest was headed for the city of Midland, about eight miles downstream from the Sanford Dam.

“In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately 9 feet of water," Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Tuesday evening. "We are anticipating an historic high water level.”

County officials had earlier warned residents along Wixom and Sanford lakes that the Edenville Dam was in danger of failure. They told residents to leave immediately around 6:15 p.m. EDT when the dam could no longer hold back the water flowing through its flood gates.

Various reports on social media indicated that the M-30 Bridge in the town of Edenville had collapsed due to the dam failure, but those reports were unconfirmed at this time.

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Some residents in the path of the rushing water in Homer and Lincoln townships were also ordered to evacuate, the report added. Areas upstream from the dams received 3 to 5 inches of rain in the 48 hours leading up to the breach. The Tittabawassee River in Midland is forecast to crest at more than 4 feet above its record from September 1986.

"The State Emergency Operations Center is already activated and fully engaged in the response," Whitmer said in a statement. "State officials from multiple departments have been on-site throughout the day."

Flooding also closed roads and drove from people from their homes in Kentucky and Ohio.

Officials in Pendleton County, Kentucky, advised residents in a threatened area of Falmouth to evacuate. The community is located about 35 miles south of Cincinnati. The county's emergency management agency said the Licking River was predicted to rise 10 feet above flood stage and inundate a portion of U.S. Highway 27 by mid-morning Wednesday.

"If you live in this area it is recommended that you move your belongings to the highest level and evacuate the area," the county posted on Facebook.

In Ohio, flooding forced employees to evacuate from about 85 businesses in West Chester Township, about 15 miles northeast of Cincinnati, WLTW reported.

Emergency personnel used boats to help residents get out of flooded neighborhoods north of Columbus.

Read Full report from the Weather Channel here