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Officials from Houghton County and agencies assisting in the flood response held a press conference Friday to update the community on their progress.
Emergency Services Manager Chris Van Arsdale said the response is moving from relief to recovery focused as most of the damages caused by the storm have been identified.
Arsdale said, “There’s still a lot of roads closed. There’s a lot of washouts, a lot have been filled. Donation centers are still set up, both in Houghton and in Calumet, the Dee Stadium in Houghton and the Calumet Colloseum. Donations are beging accepted. Also, if anyone has needs—food, water, tools—that kind of thing, they are open for people to pick those up as well.”
Help is still available by calling 211, even after Houghton County has submitted its cost estimates to the state to apply for federal funding, which will be turned in by 5:00 Friday.
Van Arsdale said they are now looking at various stream beds and watersheds as well as the storm sewers in the region.
DNR Incident Commander Brian Mensch said they have surveyed the damage to the trail system and have declared that all DNR trails in Houghton County are closed until further notice.
They are working to assess the damage to the trail system, working to prevent further damage, and beginning the restoration process.
Major Lucas Lanczy from the US National Guard said he has 69 soldiers assisting work crews in the area with heavy equipment. They are currently concentrating on Coles Creek Road. Other areas they are working on include Old Mill Road and Canal Road, as well as roads in Hubbell.
Community Planning and Preparedness Manager Ray Sharp of the Western UP Health Department stressed that all of the beaches in Houghton County remained closed due to dangerously high levels of bacteria in surface water samples.
Volunteer coordinator John Stone said volunteers are still needed, including help with doing inventory and off-loading donations, general labor, cleaning and sanitizing, cooking, and people who have and can use heavy equipment. If anyone can help out, they can call 211 or (906) 233-6621.
Houghton County Building Inspector Todd LaRue asked anyone with structural damage in their homes or businesses to give his department a call at (906) 482-2260.
Houghton County Road Engineer Kevin Harju said his crews will be working through the weekend to reopen as many of the roads as possible.
County and state officials will be working with various agencies to address structural issues within the region to try and prevent such widespread devastation ever again.
