Isabella County people abandon homes for shelter from flash flooding

MT. PLEASANT, MI --Kayakers paddled thhrough the parking lot of Timber Creek Apartments in Mount Pleasant Friday, June 23, as residents there scrambled to seek refuge from flash-flood waters for the night at an American Red Cross shelter.

"There were people kayaking in the parking lot (yesterday)," said Joe Allen, a resident at Timber Creek.

Timber Creek neighbors and people from Park Place Apartments were the largest group Saturday morning, June 24, at the shelter in Mount Pleasant High School.

They were forced from their homes after a deluge of 7 inches of rain or more fell overnight Thursday and Friday on parts of Isabella and Midland counties. The rain ran off the already saturated ground, causing the flash flooding. Neighborhoods, parks and roads were covered with water.

Isabella County declared a state of emergency Friday, along with Midland and Bay counties. The declaration is a step toward getting state and federal funding to repair damage from the flooding. Michigan Lt. Gov, Brian Calley issued a state of disaster declaration for Midland and Isabella counties.

Across Isabella County, 108 roads remained closed as of 11:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Road Commission Manager Tony Casali. The commission is still evaluating the damage, but some roads were expected to re-open later Saturday, if possible. 

One major road in particular, Blanchard Road, will remain closed because it needs a lot of work. It's a "major blowout," Casali said. 

He advised drivers to use care when navigating the county's roads.

"Proceed with caution," Casali said.

Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant closed its buildings for most activities Friday to allow university and municipal workers to dealing with flooding in streets and parking lots, according to a university statement.

At the Red Cross shelter, people could get food and a place to sleep.

"This is a place for people to put their head," said Shawn Scott-Fitzgerald, the shelter manager at Mt. Pleasant High School. "We serve them breakfast, lunch and dinner and we will remain open depending on how long the need is. If people keep popping up, we will be open longer."

According to a press release sent by the Michigan Red Cross, four apartment complexes in the Mt. Pleasant area had their first-floor residents evacuated. Some of those residents went to the high school for shelter, Scott-Fitzgerald said. 

The Michigan Red Cross was able to set up everything at the high school in about an hour, according to John Fouts, who does logistics work for the Michigan Red Cross.

"Including event-based volunteers, we had about 10 volunteers here last night," he said. "We had 12 people registered (last night), but we will probably double that tonight."

Nurses, mental health experts, mass care and logistics are all on site to service each shelter.

"Our disaster workers have shelters open now and will help people plan their recovery when conditions improve," said Kimberly Burton, Region Chief Executive Officer for the Michigan Red Cross. "More severe weather is a possibility and people need to stay apprised of changing localized weather forecasts. Our volunteers have been active since these storms struck and we remain on scene in both counties to do whatever we can to assist our emergency management partners."

Hammer Restoration were onsite at Park Place Apartments trying to get as much water as they could out of the basements of the apartment buildings on Saturday, June 24. Residents also took precautions and moved their vehicles to higher ground at the high school.