To Stem the Flood
As of June, FEMA’s latest visit concluded, and they will now make a report to the state. According to Emergency Management Division Coordinator Chris VanArsedale, we now wait and see what happens.
Photo of flooded private land in Pelkie, submitted to the Flood Photo Submission Tool. Photo courtesy of Steve Irwin.
This year, flood emergencies once again swept the UP, prompting emergency management divisions across the peninsula to request federal assistance through programs like FEMA. There are two types of assistance to be applied for: public assistance (infrastructure, roads, municipalities, etc.) and individual assistance (privately owned properties and houses). Funds are then given back to the local emergency departments in a reimbursement process.
As of June, FEMA’s latest visit concluded, and they will now make a report to the state. According to Emergency Management Division Coordinator Chris VanArsedale, we now wait and see what happens.
Preventing Flood Emergencies: The Quest for a County Drain
In April, abandoned railway grades in Lake Linden blocked a water drain, causing it to become waterlogged and burst, resulting in a flood emergency. Situations like this prompt questions about who maintains these culverts.
“We still are very interested from the county’s perspective in pursuing County Drains within a lot of these municipalities. In the long term, we think it will be the best way to manage them,” says VanArsedale.
The Houghton County Emergency Division is working with the county board of commissioners to figure out how to get municipalities and people on board to have an established community drain. An established community drain would then be eligible for grants. It would give communities, in the long term, better overall preparedness.
“Right now, they are segmented. Part of the system might belong to the township, or the village, or the landowner. Even if they are maintaining their drains, are they coordinating together? If someone is putting in a 20-inch culvert, but someone [downriver] isn’t, that could cause problems. We want one continuous drain system to where it can be engineered to be coordinated,” says VanArsedale. “I think that’s a big step in the right direction.”
A county drain would make it so that the county assumes responsibility for the maintenance of a system of drains, rather than the individual municipalities or the landowners.
The catch is that a county drain has to be petitioned into existence by a group of at least 10 people that are within the drain district. Those people can petition their local township or city or village board. Then, the municipality can petition the county board of commissioners.
For example, Dollar Bay residents would petition the Osceola Township, who can then petition the Houghton County Board.
Farm equipment barely escaped the flooding in April. Photo courtesy of Steve Irwin.
There are 36 drains within the M-26 corridor alone, with the main area of concern in the stretch between Lake Linden and Dollar Bay. Other potentially hazardous areas include the drainage in between South Range and Painesdale, which threatens the ATV trail. The drains near Chassell all the way up to Ripley all have potential for damage, too.
“How much money it would cost is a concern,” said VanArsedale. “On the flipside, how much damage would it cost in the end? Are we paying more money by responding to it?”
Rural Hazard Resilience Project Hones in on Flood Preparedness
In the face of unpredictable natural disasters and the growing need for community preparedness, the Rural Hazard Resilience Project is empowering rural areas to overcome the challenges posed by flooding and secure a more resilient future for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
According to Evan Lanese, GIS/Planning Technician, the project is a collaboration between WUPPDR, Michigan Tech, and the University of Washington and involves the development of three main tools; the GIS visualization tool, a photo submission tool, and Google Earth engine.
GIS Visualization Tool
The GIS Visualization Tool is a map where you can toggle on and off different layers: transportation layers (roads and trails), critical infrastructure layers (schools and hospitalization), and other important things that an emergency manager would need to know to evaluate flood procedures. The map shows where flooding is most likely to happen.
“Let’s say there’s a nursing home that needs to be evacuated,” said Lanese. “They could use the tool to find the best route, say ‘Oh, this road is flooded or washed out, so we’ll have to go this other route,’ and adjust the time accordingly.”
Lanese does outreach, social media and web design for the project, but most importantly collects map data from other townships to create a more accurate map. Some landowners don’t want their map data to be public, and sometimes the follow-up between townships and Lanese takes months.
According to Lanese, collecting data for the map is a full-time job. The good news is that they’re comparing it with modeling systems collected by FEMA, and they’re matching up pretty well.
Flood Photo Submission Tool
You can help contribute to the effort by using the Flood Photo Submission Tool. The team is trying to get community members to take pictures of the flooding and tag the location to upload to our database. The tool then checks to see if what is pictured matches our flood models using real life data.
Submitting flood photos with tagged locations lets the Rural Hazard Resilience team double-check their data against real-world situations. Photo courtesy of Steve Irwin.
Google Earth Engine
The third tool is the Google Earth Engine, which allows you to select a certain area and choose a return period for flooding, like 25-year-flood versus a 500-year-flood, and gives you a flood hazard risk assessment. The assessment includes how many buildings might flood, how many people might be affected, how much farmland will be affected. The tools are all publicly accessible and can be used by the community to assess flood hazard risks.
The goal of the project is to offer this model at low cost to rural areas, making flood hazard mitigation accessible for counties that may not have the budget. Lanese hopes to see the models they develop expand to the entire UP.
If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.
More News
U.P. Flooding State of Emergency Deepens
As snow continues to melt and recent rains add to the water flow, the State of Emergency declared over spring flooding has expanded to cover eight counties in the Upper Peninsula.
Storm drains in Lake Linden have been cleared, but flows remain and debris is still on the road. Photo by Lily Venable.
As snow continues to melt and recent rains add to the water flow, the State of Emergency declared over spring flooding has expanded to cover eight counties in the Upper Peninsula.
On April 14, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a State of Emergency for the flooding in Houghton and Gogebic counties. This emergency declaration applies to all of Houghton County, with most reported damage being in Lake Linden and Dollar Bay.
According to a press release from the governor's office, State of Emergency declarations have also been granted to Alger, Baraga, Dickinson, Iron, Marquette, and Ontonagon Counties as of Friday. Keweenaw County has not reported any significant damage at this time.
“Flows are way down from what they were,” Emergency Operations Manager Chris VanArsdale said. “We’re waiting to see, when the storm passes, if they’re going to pick back up or dry out. We’re in a holding pattern while the weather subsides.”
Photo courtesy of the office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The Houghton County Emergency Division warns residents to be mindful of water over the road and also of very soft roads. Gravel roads will be extremely soft, so drive towards the middle of the road if possible to avoid getting stuck. Also watch for soft shoulders on roads. The Houghton County Emergency Division continues to monitor water flow.
In a joint statement, State Senator Ed McBroom and Representative Greg Markkanen said in a press release, “We are grateful for the quick turnaround upon these local emergency declarations and needs. The MSP has been working diligently to help all our local officials and citizens. Our offices are ready to provide any assistance and work for the support we will need to repair and rebuild after the water recedes.”
DAMAGE REPORTS
Residents who have damage to their property are asked to report it either online at https://arcg.is/10ab1j or by calling 211. The purpose of reporting damage is so that the Houghton County Emergency Division can assess the damage as well as report to the State of Michigan how much assistance is needed through FEMA. There are two types of assistance to be applied for: public assistance (infrastructure, roads, municipalities, etc.) and individual assistance (privately owned properties and houses).
VanArsdale says that most damage being reported is road damage, so funds from the State of Michigan will go to stormwater system repair, road and shoulder repair, and repairs to any public infrastructure, including labor, overtime, and fuel for responding agencies.
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN LOCAL AND STATE
“The disaster relief process is complicated,” remarks VanArsdale. “We’ve been through it, but some of the other counties haven’t, they’re learning as they go. The State has been great seeing what we need. They have been a great partner, and we are really happy working with them.”
The Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (EMHSC), a branch of the Michigan State Police, has used their resources to broadcast public information, as well as to set up and maintain the 211 phone line and web link for damage reports.
“Every morning, they’re asking, ‘What do you need from us?’,” remarks VanArsdale. “[EMHSC Captain] Kevin Sweeney has been on our calls every morning. Actually, he called me Wednesday morning to see how the flooding is going and what we need from them. I was really impressed that he would take the time personally to see what we needed locally.”
WHO’S IN CHARGE OF MAINTENANCE?
The washed-out railroad grade above Lake Linden. Photo courtesy of Chris Van Arsdale.
In Lake Linden and Hubbell, most damage comes from several abandoned railroad grades. In Hubbell, the water is flowing through the grades, while in Lake Linden, one of these grades was blocking the flow of stormwater, becoming waterlogged, and subsequently bursting, causing a flood emergency.
“The railroad grades need to be checked. They’re not designed as dams, they’re designed as bridges,” explains VanArsdale. “The gray area is whose responsibility it is to maintain the culverts, and that’s a question that hasn't been resolved. So a lot of them aren't maintained. That causes problems.”
According to VanArsdale, EGLE recently paid an estimated $10 million to clean up some of these streams and culverts all over the Keweenaw, so some say it is EGLE’s responsibility to maintain the culverts. EGLE said they permit work on them, but it is not theirs to maintain. Some say the county should maintain the culverts, while others say the responsibility should be left to private landowners, where several of the culverts lie.
The washout of a home’s yard in Lake Linden. Photo courtesy of Chris Van Arsdale.
In spring of 2019, before the year’s snow melt, a meeting was conducted between Houghton County fire departments, police departments, and township and municipality representatives to discuss the county’s stance on the issue. It was ultimately decided that the responsibility was going to be left to the municipality to maintain the drains, but the conversation is still ongoing.
ACTIONABLE STEPS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL
If you are a landowner, have land surrounding these grades or gullies (there are 33 of these drainages in the area), or live next to one, make sure you aren’t dumping any garbage that might block the culverts.
“That’s definitely been an issue – dumping in the woods,” remarks VanArsdale.
Ask your local elected officials: What are they doing to maintain the drains? Is there a program in place? Are they having a contractor coming to check them or clean them every year?
Individuals or municipalities can petition the County Board of Commissioners to establish what’s called a county drain, a watershed which the County Drain Commissioner is responsible for maintaining. The county would then be responsible for maintaining the drain rather than the local municipality. This is a common arrangement in other parts of the state.
Flooding causes local state of emergency
Flooding between Lake Linden and Dollar Bay has led to Houghton County declaring a local state of emergency, according to a release from the Houghton County Office of Emergency Measures.
Flooding between Lake Linden and Dollar Bay has led to Houghton County declaring a local state of emergency, according to a release from the Houghton County Office of Emergency Measures.
Rapid snowmelt led to fast-moving waters and the bursting of an abandoned railroad grade that was acting as an earthen dam. Storm water systems have been overwhelmed, causing road closures and washouts.
Photos courtesy of the Emergency Management Coordinator Chris Van Arsdale.
The local declaration is the first step in requesting state assistance with the cost of the recovery. Initial estimates already put the cost of recovery over $150,000. First responders and government agencies continue to work to protect people and property, and restore road access.
The state of emergency began on Thursday, and will last for a week unless renewed.
UPDATE, April 14, 2023:
Houghton County has submitted a request to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to declare a State of Emergency for the flooding, which was signed at 3:20 p.m. for Houghton and Gogebic counties. This clears the way for state assistance in management and recovery.
With the potential for wet weather this weekend, the Houghton County Emergency Manager is encouraging residents to drive with caution and be aware of the potential for rapidly changing water levels in streams and ditches.