A flood warning has been issued for areas of southeast St. Clair County by the National Weather Service. The St. Clair County Office of Emergency Management says the heviest impacted areas include Harsens Island and Algonac, where rising water levels have already flooded buildings and roadways. Officials say water levels could continue to rise through the day on Friday, due to additional precipitation and wind direction. Sandbags for area residents are available at the Clay and Ira Township Halls, and are also available by contacting the Algonac DPW at 794-9361. Those who need non-life threatening assistance due to the flood can contact Clay and Ira Township’s dispatch at 794-9381 or central dispatch at 985-8115. The flood warning for southeast St. Clair County is set to expire at 2:45pm on Friday. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has also issued a lake shore flood advisory for areas along Lake Huron from the tip of the thumb to Port Huron. The lake shore flood advisory is in effect until 2pm Thursday.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Areas of downriver St. Clair County, including Ira, Clay, and East China Townships, are currently experiencing localized flooding due to rising water levels in the St. Clair River. Justin Westmiller, Director of St. Clair County Emergency Management, says water levels could rise a few more inches, putting shoreline homes and businesses at risk of additional flooding. “There’s a potential for another couple of inches (of flooding),” Westmiller told WPHM. “Anytime we see a wind event, we are going to issue a food warning, so we ask everybody to pay attention to the National Weather Service warnings and any other alerts we put out.” Westmiller says a snowy winter with prolonged ice coverage on the Great Lakes resulted in less evaporation and higher water levels. He also adds that as long as water levels are up, the risk for flooding is expected to continue through the summer months.
