Houghton County Recovery Continues With Safety Warnings To Residents

(Houghton, MI) – While crews continue to work on repairing more than 80 county roads damaged or closed following Sunday’s torrential rains and flooding, residents are being advised of both health and travel advisories by Emergency Management and other agencies.

The Sheriff’s Office is telling ORV users that both the trails between Hancock and Calumet as well as the trail between Ripley and Lake Linden are closed to all use. Washouts, missing culverts and damaged bridges are making travel on these trails extremely dangerous and they will be closed until further notice. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will be arriving today to assess damage and further block access to these trails.

The Western U.P. Health Department is advising that, following the results of water testing, all recreational bathing beaches in the area will remain closed because of contamination from storm water runoff. The water quality of lakes and streams may also be affected. In addition, contaminated water is also a problem for people who may be involved in cleanup operations around their homes. Anyone working around mud or water are urged to wear rubber kitchen-type gloves and wash hands or any contaminated surfaces with soap and fresh water. Additional information is available at: http://www.wupdhd.org/

Relating to health issues, a debris removal plan should be in place by the end of the day today with locations and methods of disposal. Because of the possibility of debris contamination as well as other issues, emergency management officials are stressing the need for patience and cooperation with regards to this situation. While some may feel that hauling debris to another location or burying refuse might be a quick fix, this is definitely not an appropriate way to handle debris and could lead to additional problems including having an impact on friends, neighbors and recovery crews who are trying to help the community. Household trash and debris may still be taken to both normal transfer station locations located in the county.
Another note for homeowners and business dealing with storm damage is to document the extent or type of damage with photos and written notes for future reference. Once clean-up has been completed, it’s difficult to determine the extent of the original damage. While this does not guarantee any future financial assistance, these records could be very important. Homeowners and businesses should retain this information until further notice.

The Michigan National Guard is in the process of deploying to the area with the main force of more than 60 soldiers arriving Thursday. The Guard unit will be bringing in 35 pieces of heavy equipment and earth moving machinery to assist with recovery efforts. The Guard deployment was authorized by the Governor, who was in Houghton Tuesday afternoon to assess the damage and meet with emergency management personnel and first responders. Residents should use caution and be careful and stay alert because of the large number of trucks and crews working in the area.

The tremendous response from individuals and companies has greatly helped recovery efforts as community members offer time, money and supplies to those effected by the flooding. There are two ways to assist with these efforts or to request assistance.

For those who need help or would like to offer their time, they can call the Volunteer Hotline at (906) 233-6621. They may also visit the Facebook site at Houghton County Flood Volunteer. https://www.facebook.com/CopperCountryStrong2018/ Additional information may also be available from the Citizen’s Information Line at 2-1-1.

Cash donations are being accepted through three verified local organizations. Those are: The Portage Health Foundation at (906) 523-5920, the Keweenaw Community Foundation at (906) 482-9673 and River Valley Bank at (906) 483-2601. Money from these donations will be distributed to locally to assist residents with recovery.

Concerns about the structural integrity of buildings in the area are being addressed by the office of Houghton County Building Inspector. Questions about inspections or other concerns may be directed to that office at (906) 482-2260 or by Email at Building@Houghtoncounty.net.

The Houghton County mine inspector has also been in the area evaluating local sites for damage or flooding.

As far as roads in the area, Michigan Department of Transportation officials noted that M26 from the Portage Lake lift bridge to Lake Linden should be open by the end of the day today. For additional information on the latest road closures or any other questions, people can contact the Citizen’s Information Line at 2-1-1.