MARQUETTE, MI— The cost of flood damage in the Upper Peninsula is stacking up.
Preliminary estimates indicate Houghton County has suffered around $2.2 million in damages. Gogebic County stands at around $7 million, Ontonagon County near $3 million, and Marquette County at about $1.8 million.
Warm temperatures last week accelerated spring runoff, and recent heavy snowfall in the western U.P. is exacerbating the situation.
The Gogebic County Road Commission is using pickup trucks to plow some soft and saturated roads because their equipment is too heavy and would cause major damage.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in Houghton and Gogebic counties last week. That led to an activation of the State Emergency Operations Center, which using state resources to help coordinate and execute recovery efforts.
A local state of emergency was declared in Marquette County on Monday.