Name: Gov. Whitmer: Downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by Wednesday
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Gov. Whitmer: Downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by Wednesday

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Detroit Free Press Urging residents to evacuate and saying downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by Wednesday afternoon,&nbsp;Gov. Gretchen Whitmer late Tuesday declared for Midland County after the Edenville and Sanford Speaking during a press conference late Tuesday, Whitmer said parts of the city of Midland, the village of Sanford, Edenville Township and Dow Chemical had been or were being evacuated. She said officials were working to evacuate residents in Tittabawassee, Thomas and Saginaw townships on Tuesday evening.Parts of Midland Township, Lincoln Township and Homer Township had also been evacuated, according to alerts on Midland County's emergency management system, with tens of thousands of people potentially affected by flooding along the Tittabawassee River and a flood warning in effect through Wednesday morning.Whitmer said at a 10 p.m. briefing Tuesday that&nbsp;state officials expected the worst over the next 12-15 hours with as much as 9 feet of water in downtown Midland, the largest city in the area with about 40,000 residents and the home to Dow Chemical.More:2017 article: "This is unlike anything we’ve seen before... but this is truly a historic event that's playing out in the midst of another historic event," Whitmer said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic which has led to stay-at-home orders throughout the state and the deaths of more than 5,000 people.She said that despite those orders generally telling people to stay home, it was important that anyone living in the affected areas evacuate as quickly as possible to safer areas, or go to the homes of relatives and friends. She also said&nbsp;shelters have opened in Midland County at:&nbsp;Several dams upstream of Midland along the Tittabawassee had either been breached or were releasing water uncontrollably after 4 to 7 inches of rain fell Sunday and Monday, including the Edenville and Sanford dams on Tuesday, forcing&nbsp;the&nbsp;evacuation of thousands of people in mid-Michigan.The National Weather Service forecast major flooding, likely setting records.&nbsp;The Tittabawassee River had swelled to late Tuesday and was forecast to crest at 38 feet at 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The record is 33.9 feet.&nbsp;Emergency responders were going door-to-door early Tuesday morning warning residents living near the Edenville Dam of the rising water, the Associated Press reported.&nbsp;Some residents were able to return home, only to be told to leave again following the dam's breach.The Sanford Dam was breached later in the day Tuesday.Whitmer said she had activated the National Guard and Guardsmen were on the scene already. Helicopters were being used to try to find the best way to evacuate people as well. She also said she would turn to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help as quickly as she could.For now, however, she said it was urgent that people get out of harm's way."Please do not hesitate. Go to stay with a friend or relative or go to one of these shelters now," she said, adding that even at a shelter, people should try to do the best they can to practice social distancing and wear a face covering to protect themselves and others from coronavirus.Whitmer also urged people not to walk or drive through standing water and to take the evacuation notices seriously, saying there were thousands of Michiganders who needed to heed the call to evacuate immediately.Asked by a reporter what the state could do to help people financially recover from losses, given the strain already put on Michigan's revenues by the pandemic and the shutdown of businesses, Whitmer said Tuesday that would have to be looked at later after the damage is assessed.“The depth of the destruction is unknown yet, but I think it’s safe to anticipate that there are going to be a lot of people who are going to struggle as a result of this on top of all of the other stressors that we have right now," she said. "So we're going to work incredibly hard to help people get through this. And we'll work with the Legislature to do everything we can to help.”Contact Angie: ; 313-222-1850. Follow her on Twitter:

Detroit Free Press Urging residents to evacuate and saying downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by Wednesday afternoon,&nbsp;Gov. Gretchen Whitmer late Tuesday declared for Midland County after the Edenville and Sanford Speaking during a press conference late Tuesday, Whitmer said parts of the city of Midland, the village of Sanford, Edenville Township and Dow Chemical had been or were being evacuated. She said officials were working to evacuate residents in Tittabawassee, Thomas and Saginaw townships on Tuesday evening.Parts of Midland Township, Lincoln Township and Homer...

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The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primarily serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties.  The Free Press is also the largest city newspaper owned by Gannett, which also publishes USA Today. The Free Press has received ten Pulitzer Prizes and four Emmy Awards. Its motto is "On Guard for 189 Years".

Gov. Whitmer: Downtown Midland could be under 9 feet of water by Wednesday

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