Cheboygan Dam water levels continue to rise; residents urged to prepare for evacuation
Water levels have hit their highest level yet at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex along the Cheboygan River in Northern Lower Michigan.
The river was at 5.28 inches below the top of the dam as of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the State of Michigan Emergency Management and Homeland Security officials.
With the waters reaching closer than 6 inches, the Cheboygan County Sheriff's Office said Thursday morning that the local alert status has reached the Level 2 or "set" stage in the Ready, Set, Go instructions to the public and shared a map of the likely evacuation area.
If conditions continue to worsen, local officials may issue a "go" alert, which means to evacuate immediately.
"Level 2 indicates a high probability of a need to evacuate. You should prepare now by packing necessary items and preparing your family, pets, and vehicle for potential departure," the sheriff's office said.
Items that area residents should take with them include prescriptions, personal items and pet-related needs.
What led up to this alert
Cheboygan is just one of the areas of concern across the state, where snowmelt from winter storms aggravated by additional rain overtook riverbanks and low-lying areas. At one point, the entire state of Michigan was under a flood watch.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer opened the State Emergency Operations Center on April 10 to coordinate efforts on flood response, and the EOC remains in service.
The Cheboygan Dam has been monitored since April 7, when the water was 21.5 inches below the top of the dam. Steps that have been taken to prevent and alleviate potential damage at the Cheboygan dam include a sandbagging effort that started on April 11 and the closing of the Bascule Bridge along U.S. 23.
Across Cheboygan County
Many local roads in Cheboygan County are currently closed because of high water, the Cheboygan County Sheriff's Office said. Some residents who live near the Little Black River Watershed were ordered into a temporary evacuation mode.
Sandbagging has also taken place at the Alverno Dam.
A flood warning remains in effect through late Sunday for over a dozen counties in Northern Michigan, according to the National Weather Service in Gaylord.
