Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Thursday for Antrim, Cheboygan, and Emmet counties following extreme rainfall in late June. The erosion of culverts, ditches, and slopes has left roads and infrastructure in the region damaged or unstable.
This marks the fifth state of emergency the governor has declared in Michigan this year.
“The state of Michigan is coordinating with the federal and local governments to deliver critical resources and financial assistance to families, local businesses, and communities as they recover,” Whitmer wrote in a statement. “Extreme weather has left an impact on communities across Michigan this year, but Michiganders are resilient.”
Michigan’s Department of Transportation has been trying to repair sections of M-119, M-88 and M-66 and is unsure when the roads will be reopened.
The department was still repairing sections of M-119 following historic flooding in April when an estimated 5 to 7 inches of rain washed out part of the major highway on June 29.
“These are really two essentially back-to-back unprecedented events,” said MDOT Spokesperson James Lake told WCMU in a phone interview on July 6. “These kinds of events overwhelm a system that was designed many, many decades ago.”
According to Antrim County Drain Commissioner Leslie Meyers, significant rainfall has been a recurring issue for infrastructure across northwest Michigan. She’s been trying to work with other counties to renovate infrastructure across the Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed to reduce constant flooding in local lakes.
“We had just gotten water levels back to normal, and then last Monday's rain came and dropped almost 5 inches in several parts of the upper chain,” she said in an interview on July 6. “It blew out, M88, one of our major roadways here in Antrim County.”
Whitmer stated that “state funding and federal funding from the Federal Highway Administration may now be pursued based on damage assessments and eligibility.”
However, Lake said that it’ll be a while before those assessments are completed.
“We don't have a full picture yet of what repairs are going to look like, nor a timeline or budget,” Lake said.
