Hoeven Visits Devils Lake, Michigan To Assist After Heavy Rains And Wind Hit Communities

Press Release

Gov. John Hoeven today worked with city and county leaders in Michigan and Devils Lake to help identify problems and bring state assistance to the communities in the aftermath of two storms that dropped more than four inches of heavy rain on the city in the course of the past week.

The Michigan City Commission is concerned that additional rainfall will exceed current response capabilities, and this morning issued an emergency declaration. The heavy rains have damaged the city's lift station and resulted in problems with ground water infiltrating the city's sewer system. They are also having problems with ground water runoff. Water is backing up from Lake Laretta into the city of Michigan. No water has backed into homes as yet.

Hoeven has authorized state resources to assist, including the N.D. National Guard, Department of Emergency Services, the Department of Transportation, the State Water Commission and the Department of Health.

The State Water Commission is making heavy pumps available to help supplement the lift station, which is functioning at partial capacity. The NDDOT and National Guard are making HESCO and sandbags available to local officials to fill a 3-foot culvert on the frontage road. The large sandbags are located at Camp Grafton.

North Dakota Department of Health has directed residents to boil water before consumption as a precaution against illness. Health Department staff are testing tap water and providing instructions to residents via radio and in person on how to properly sanitize water. Health Department staff and the department's environmental health division is evaluating issues at the lift station and arranging to provide portable toilets.

Hoeven was also in Devils Lake this morning, where he toured the Lakewood Housing Development, which was also hit by heavy rain and high winds this week.

Later in the day, he worked with local officials on ways to get more water out of the lake. The Governor, along with city and county officials, toured both Tolna Coulee and the emergency outlet on the west end, as well as road and dike construction in the Devils Lake area. The west-end outlet is currently under an expansion that will enable it to remove 250 cubic feet of water per second (cfs). The outlet's current maximum flow rate is 100 cfs.

"The state is working with Devils Lake area authorities to move more water out of the lake, build up roads and dikes and store more water where possible," Hoeven said.

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