Large chunks of ice rammed into homes along Michigan’s Black Lake in the northeastern Lower Peninsula as constant spring rainfall and winter melt left many homes flooded and threatened to overflow stressed dam systems.
Photos and videos posted to social media showed ice sitting inside living rooms after crashing through windows and doors. Homes, garages, and sheds were surrounded by several feet of muddy, brown river and lake water.
Spring rains and melting snow have swollen rivers and lakes, causing torrents of water to surge through Cheboygan County communities on their way to Lake Huron.
“Black Lake, Black River, Cheboygan River, Burt Lake, Mullett Lake, the Sturgeon River — nearly every waterway in the county — have overflowed their banks, swallowing docks, roads, yards, and many homes,” reported the Cheboygan County sheriff’s office. “What used to be familiar shorelines have become unrecognizable expanses of water.”
Evacuations were ordered for homes along Black Lake’s west side over the weekend as officials worked to manage the flooding crisis.
Eyewitness Christopher Narsesian described the immense ice sheets, likening them to “mini glaciers” that “just run down everything in their path. Nothing can stop that kind of weight.”
Officials are striving to prevent ice and debris from clogging the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex to maintain water flow to Lake Huron. Ice chunks were reported moving through nearby Mullett Lake as well, with water flowing toward the Cheboygan River.
Last week, emergency crews added pumps and restored power to an old hydroelectric station to increase water flow at the dam. To ease the pressure on the dam, cranes were deployed to remove gates holding back water.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in Cheboygan and more than 30 other Michigan counties in response to the floods and severe weather this month.
Narsesian shared concerns for his community, stating, “Most people don’t have any help—coverage. Flood insurance was never necessary. No one’s ever seen this here. It’s a lot.”
