Lansing — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has issued a state of emergency as waters continue to rise at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex.
The rising water levels at the lock and dam on the Cheboygan River are due to recent rainfall and snowmelt following the record snowfall last month. Officials have warned that the high waters present dangers, including the potential to wash away shorelines and banks and to sweep people and objects away if they get caught in the river’s fast-moving currents.
The emergency declaration authorizes the state to use all available resources to assist local response and recovery operations.
“Water levels are below the crest of the dam, but conditions could change quickly with more rain coming,” Whitmer said Friday afternoon in a statement. “This emergency declaration will help local, state, and federal officials protect Michiganders and property.”
On Friday morning, Whitmer activated Michigan’s Emergency Operations Center. She said officials have been closely monitoring water levels all week.
“There’s a comprehensive plan in place to protect Michiganders and property,” Whitmer said Friday morning. “Activating the SEOC (State Emergency Operations Center) will help support local communities with the resources they need to keep people safe.”
When she declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon, Whitmer said the river was 18 inches below the top of the Cheboygan Dam. Additional public safety measures will be taken if it reaches 12 inches below.
Residents should sign up for local alerts, Whitmer said.
State and federal leaders are seeking ways to increase outflow, including potentially refiring a previously damaged hydroelectric generator. Government officials are also working with private businesses to increase flow, Whitmer said.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources on Thursday said it spent the day placing 1,500 sandbags along the lock.
Forecasters are predicting warmer temperatures over the weekend, the statement said, and rain next week. That could add to the problems after steady rain in recent weeks and the melting of the roughly 1 to 2 feet of snow dumped on Cheboygan County in a mid-March storm.
The pattern over the past month has caused an above-average snowpack and rain, about 5 inches above average liquid equivalent since March 1, in Cheboygan County, according to the National Weather Service.
Staff writer Max Reinhart contributed.
