Ontonagon, Gogebic counties assess flood damage

By P.J. GLISSON

news@yourdailyglobe.com

After melting snow and a recent blizzard created multiple floods throughout the region, emergency declarations issued by the state have grown in the past week from three to eight counties in the western U.P.

That’s the word from Heidi DeRosso, Gogebic County 911/emergency coordinator, who is working with a state emergency coordinator and other regional officials.

The counties include Gogebic, Ontonagon, Houghton, Baraga, Alger, Dickinson, Iron and Marquette.

Lt. Jeffery Yonker, first district coordinator for the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division of the Michigan State Police, met last Friday in Wakefield with DeRosso and Wakefield City Manager Robert Brown, Jr.

Yonker had flown earlier that day by helicopter with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to assess damage in Marquette County. He told the Globe later that she signed a declaration adding the additional counties to the state’s emergency declaration.

“Hopefully we can just push through this,” he said of the steps in pursuing financial assistance.

Based in Lansing, Yonker is one of eight district coordinators helping to facilitate a state-to-local conduit.

By phone on Tuesday, he added that Lt. Steve Derusha, MSP’s EMHSD 8th District Coordinator, has visited all of the eight counties and continues to maintain daily contact with their emergency officials.

Yonker said they need to finish assessing the damage first before

“There’s a process,” said Yonker. “We don’t have any solid numbers yet.”

DeRosso said the threshold to apply for federal aid is $18 million, and the hope is that by submitting a joint application on behalf of all the damaged counties, that requirement might be met.

If federal help is warranted, said Yonker, “We will take that next step to our federal partners.”

Federal support would be a relief to Michael Kocher, director of Emergency Services for

Ontonagon County, which sustained extensive damage.

Kocher said it’s too early to speculate on dollar costs. “They’re all speculative,” he said of any estimates, which are not yet complete.

“The issues were primarily related to roads,” said Kocher, who cited Old M-28 and Amber Lake Road as two of the most serious areas in his county.

“Those two words are impassable, probably indefinitely,” he said.

On Old M-28, he said a large culvert “totally eroded,” resulting in a 55-foot gap in the road.

“The road is blocked off, obviously,” he added.

On Amber Lake Road, an east-west byway between the north-south channels of U.S. 45 and Choate Road, Kocher said that problems with two culverts there have caused unknown damage.

Moreover, he claimed of additional problems, “We have six to eight locations within a 5- to 10-mile radius of Ewen.”

Kocher said that officials from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy already have visited his county and will return to determine the type of remediation needed.

He knows that the ruined culverts may be a few decades old and so speculates that replacement with box culverts may be required, which will make the restoration that much more expensive.

Meanwhile, he said that the Road Commission offices for both Ontonagon and Gogebic counties have contracted with Coleman Engineering Company of Ironwood to assess overall destruction.

“I believe we have only one road under water,” said Kocher of Applekamp Road.

However, he added that South Boundary Road — a designated snowmobile trail runs about 20 or so miles between Gogebic and Ontonagon counties — is another area still in question.

“That road still has two feet of snow,” he said

DeRosso said issues in Gogebic County began about two weeks ago.

“Stuff really started going south on Wednesday (April 12),” she said, adding that trouble began in Ironwood Township, which had “a bunch of roads” covered with water.

She first stationed a virtual Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in the Gogebic County Courthouse in Bessemer.

“All the jurisdictions that were affected were pulled together and meet virtually,” she said of the sessions that still continue daily.

Included were every city and township plus the Gogebic County Road Commission and the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department. Each party also had the freedom to forward the invitations to other parties as they saw fit

Gogebic’s and Ontonagon’s local declarations of emergency were filed before any of the other counties, and the state acknowledged them quickly.

The EOC then moved to Wakefield on April 14 or 15.

One of the most serious issues first noted in Wakefield was that a waterline was damaged in the area of Planter Creek by M-28. The resulting leak left residents on Johnson and Wertanen roads with no drinkable water.

DeRosso said that, courtesy of Walmart and the Red Cross, water buffalos (big water holding tanks) have been stationed near the people whose drinkable water was shut down. Sewer systems are still operational, according to the city manager.

“It’s potable so you can do anything you want with it,” said DeRosso of the water tanks.

Beyond that, she said that the Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School now has opened to the public for people who may need to take showers.

Employees of Wakefield’s Department of Public Works also pumped Sunday Lake over a series of days to reduce potential flooding.

DeRosso said that, even before the flooding occurred, many coordinated efforts already were been occurring throughout the region.

“I had placed an order for 10,000 sand bags,” she said, noting that the sand came from local sources.

According to Kate Beer, health officer and chief executive for the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department, her office also has issued caution in how people respond to continuing issues.

“WUPHD is advising the public to avoid all contact with floodwater and surface water during the spring snowmelt period,” stated WUPHD in a press release. “Children should be discouraged from playing in floodwater. Always wash hands with soap and water after contact with floodwater or after cleanup of flood effected material. The WUPHD urges all homeowners with flooded basements to use caution during clean up. Use rubber gloves and boots. Throw out food that may have been in contact with floodwater.”

“We have a great community,” said DeRosso. “Everybody came together. We’re blessed where we live.”

She noted first responders, volunteers, and Department of Public Works employees working long hours around the clock.

Kocher said the Ontonagon division of the MSP have been fantastic, using helicopters and drones to assess damage.

He said area emergency directors meet virtually every morning with Lansing officials and added that county road engineers also are working closely together.

“The key is being patient and having documentation and working with the state to plead our case with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency),” said Kocher.

“We’re all in this together,” he added. “Hopefully, we can make things whole again.”

Even with possible federal aid, he said Ontonagon County’s remediation will be “a couple year project.” Without that aid, he said the project could extend to several years.

Brown said that only $250,000 will be available to Wakefield from the state, and he added that those funds are already designated for overtime and other mundane costs. Nothing is left for street damage, he said.

DeRosso encourages members of the public to check the Facebook page of Emergency Management for Gogebic County and self-report any damage. There is a 211 number available for help in filling out the related form.

Yonker added that, hopefully, the state will soon issue a question-and-answer form that DeRosso then will post on her emergency services Facebook page.