Sunday, May 1, 2011

NEWS: Midland Flood

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Midland resident Joe Ralph, 30, sits stranded on his front porch at his Towsley Street house Friday afternoon after taking his second consecutive day off of work. Ralph was waiting for his basement to be pumped clear of 5-foot-high standing water. His family has owned the house since the '70s, and he has been its owner for four years. "When I first looked outside, I saw a lake on my front lawn, and I knew it was bad," Ralph said. "There's water everywhere. The basement is flooded. I have no choice but to stay here, wait and do my best to get the water out of my house." On Friday, the Tittabawassee River crested at approximately 27.66 feet. The flood waters continued to rise, partially submerging the surrounding areas of the Tridge, including Chippewassee Park, the Trilogy Skate Park, the Downtown Midland Area's Farmers' Market, Currie Parkway and Emerson Park, among other areas. While the flooding was substantial, it did not quite reach the level of the 1986 flood, where the cresting river exceeded 33 feet.

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A 1972 Mercedes sits parked in the driveway on Towsley Street Friday afternoon.

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From left: Midland residents Lance Juhas, 18, Austin Lago, 18, and Eddie Burton, 17, boat around the flooded streets of Midland Friday afternoon as they approach the Tridge. "You never get to navigate the streets like this," Burton said. "We are floating by street signs at eye level."

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

the light on that second photo of the car is so good

i can't believe it flooded that much, that's so crazy