Photos: Dams break in Michigan, thousands evacuated

The failures of the Edenville Dam and the Sanford Dam, about 140 miles northwest of Detroit, led the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning for areas near the Tittabawassee River, with downstream effects expected from Midland to Saginaw overnight. Residents in nearby towns, including Edenville, Sanford and Midland, were evacuated. | Above: A view of the flooded area near the Sanford dam.

Rapidly rising water overtook dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people in central Michigan, where flooding struck communities along rain-swollen waterways and the governor said one downtown could be "under approximately 9 feet of water" by Wednesday. | Above: Carol Ouellette stands on her front porch, surrounded by floodwater, in Beaverton.

For the second time in less than 24 hours, families living along the Tittabawassee River and connected lakes in Midland County were ordered Tuesday evening to leave home. By Wednesday morning, water that was several feet high covered some streets near the river in downtown Midland, including riverside parkland, and reaching a hotel and parking lots. | Above: A view of the flooded area near the Sanford Dam.

The National Weather Service urged anyone near the river to seek higher ground following "castastrophic dam failures" at the Edenville Dam, about 225 north of Detroit, and the Sanford Dam, about seven miles (11 kilometers) downriver. | Above: Floodwater surrounds gas pumps at Wixom Lake Gas & Launch, along the Tittabawassee River in Beaverton.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said downtown Midland, a city of 42,000 about 14 kilometers downstream from the Sanford Dam, faced an especially serious flooding threat. Dow Chemical Co.'s main plant sits on the city's riverbank. "In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately 9 feet of water," the governor said. "We are anticipating an historic high water level." | Above: A view of the flooded area near the Sanford Dam.

Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Midland County and urged residents threatened by the flooding to find a place to stay with friends or relatives or to seek out one of several shelters that opened across the county. | Above: Water floods the Midland Area Farmers Market and the tridge along the Tittabawassee River in Midland.

The evacuations include the towns of Edenville, Sanford and parts of Midland, according to Selina Tisdale, spokeswoman for Midland County. | Above: A view of a dam on Wixom Lake.

The Edenville Dam, which was built in 1924, was rated in unsatisfactory condition in 2018 by the state. The Sanford Dam, which was built in 1925, received a fair condition rating. Both dams are in the process of being sold. | Above: Water rushes through the Edenville Dam, in Edenville.

Tittabawassee Fire and Rescue rescued the driver from this red pickup truck on Norh Gleaner Road near its intersection with Tittabawassee Road in Saginaw County.

Mark Musselman brings a chair to the front of his house from the back yard, wading through floodwater, in Edenville.

People help each other travel from one home to another using an inflatable raft on Oakridge Road on Wixom Lake, in Beaverton.

Residents of Sanford and Wixom Lakes exit a shelter at Meridian Junior High School, in Sanford, after spending the night following an evacuation order.

People use kayaks to assess the damage at homes in their neighborhood on Oakridge Road on Wixom Lake.

Tyler Marciniak, of Grand Rapids, carries hanging plants through floodwaters as he helps his father, assess the damage to his home on Red Oak Drive on Wixom Lake.

Freeland resident Cyndi Ballien walks up to get a closer look as heavy rain floods North Gleaner Road near its intersection with Tittabawassee Road in Saginaw County.