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由於迅速上漲的水位超過了水壩的警戒線，這迫使密西根州中部地區約1萬人撤離，洪水不斷的湧入社區，州長說，到周三時，米德蘭市市中心可能 「被淹沒在大約9英尺的水面下"。到了周三上午，幾英尺高的水已經覆蓋了米德蘭市中心河邊的一些街道，包括河邊的公園地，並蔓延到了一家酒店和停車場。密西根州州長Gretchen Whitmer說，米德蘭市中心居住著約有4.2萬人的城市，距桑福德大壩下遊約8英裡，這裡面臨著特別嚴重的洪水威脅。
Rapidly rising water overtook dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people in central Michigan, where flooding struck communities along rain-swollen waterways and the governor said one downtown could be 「under approximately nine feet of water「 by Wednesday.
For the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland county were ordered Tuesday evening to leave home.
By Wednesday morning, water that was several feet high covered some streets near the river in downtown Midland, including riverside parkland, and reaching a hotel and parking lots.
The National Weather Service urged anyone near the river to seek higher ground following 「catastrophic dam failures」 at the Edenville dam, about 140 miles north of Detroit, and the Sanford dam, about seven miles downriver.
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer said downtown Midland, a city of 42,000 about eight miles downstream from the Sanford Dam, faced an especially serious flooding threat.
Dow Chemical Company’s main plant sits on the city’s riverbank.
「In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately 9ft of water,「 the governor said during a late Tuesday briefing. 「We are anticipating an historic high water level.」
Further down the Tittabawassee River, communities in Saginaw county were on alert for flooding, with a flash-flood watch in effect Wednesday.
Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Midland county and urged residents threatened by the flooding to find a place to stay with friends or relatives or to seek out one of several shelters that opened across the county.
Emergency responders went door-to-door early Tuesday morning warning residents living near the Edenville dam of the rising water. Some residents were able to return home, only to be told to leave again following the dam’s breach several hours later.
The evacuations include the towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for Midland county.
Dow Chemical has activated its emergency operations center and will be adjusting operations as a result of current flood stage conditions, spokeswoman Rachelle Schikorra said in an email.
「Dow Michigan Operations is working with its tenants and Midland County officials and will continue to closely monitor the water levels on the Tittabawassee River,」 Schikorra said.
The Edenville Dam, which was built in 1924, was rated in unsatisfactory condition in 2018 by the state. The Sanford Dam, which was built in 1925, received a fair condition rating. Both dams are in the process of being sold.
There were 19 high hazard dams in unsatisfactory or poor condition in Michigan in 2018, ranking 20th among the 45 states and Puerto Rico for which the Associated Press obtained condition assessments.
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