Ice Breakers Deploy To Combat Michigan Flooding

Three ice breaking ships from the U.S. and Canada are working to break up ice dams causing flooding along the St. Clair River. WDIV's Mara MacDonald reports.

(NBC News) — Three Coast Guard ice breakers from the United States and Canada have been working on the St. Clair River trying to break up ice dams.

Homes in Michigan’s East China Township are affected. Those homes do not have basements but crawl spaces and if the water doesn’t recede soon, will be in people’s living rooms.

St. Clair County Emergency Director Justin Westmiller said the cause is a trifecta — strong north winds, no ice bridge has formed in Lake Huron and all that ice has dumped into the river.

“We started noticing the water rising around 1 p.m. yesterday (February 2),” Westmiller said. “We got on the phone and by 3 p.m., we had federal assets from the U.S. and Canada speeding to the St. Clair River to break up the ice.”

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