Local News

St. Clair County Emergency Operation Center is still partially activated. Local Emergency Management officials are monitoring the flooding situation and are advising residents that the time to prepare is quickly passing. In the coming weeks, the southern portions of St. Clair County will continue to see flood waters rise quickly to potentially record heights.  This is an increasingly serious and potentially life threating situation! This situation may also change quickly with the amount of projected rainfall, wind direction and waves depending on where you are located within flood zone. It is highly recommended that you pay particular attention to all National Weather Service watches and warnings regarding information in your local area. If you have not signed up yet for WINS (Warning Information Network System). Please immediately join our alerting system by visiting WINS at www.bereadystclaircounty.org.  The Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division strongly advises that you rush to completion all
property protection and hardening activities in the next two weeks or less. The water may begin to significantly rise by the beginning of June or sooner. If you are in need of sandbags, please contact your Local Township or City Office.
The following are providing sandbags to their residents:
– Clay Township Water Department on Muskrat Run between the hours of 7am and 3:30pm.
– Ira Township Office 7085 Meldrum Rd. Monday – Thursday 7am – 5pm
– Algonac DPW at DPW@cityofalgonac.org (810) 794-9361
– East China Twp — west of the waste water treatment plant 1244 Recor Rd, East China Twp

It is also important that you make the Emergency Operation Center or local government offices aware of any flood damage to occupied dwellings. If your home is impacted it is very important that you contact the Emergency Operation Center at (810) 989-6392 or via email at damage@stclaircounty.org. Please include your address, phone number, foundation type, amount of water in your home, and damage pictures in the email.  If you live on an island will you be able to get off the island when the water gets higher? If you are on the mainland, where would you go if the waters get higher than the second floor of your house?  There are two types of evacuations, voluntary and mandatory. Voluntary evacuation is where residents choose to move from a perceived area of danger to a safe area on their own. This is when you decide to stay with family or friends, or at a hotel until local emergency official declare the area is safe to return to. A mandatory evacuation is declared when a hazard directly threatens the community. If a mandatory evacuation notice is issued, you must leave without delay and will not be able to return until local emergency officials render it safe to return to the community. If you have to
evacuate, where will you go? Do you have family or friends inland that you can stay with? If you wait too long to evacuate, will your road be too flooded for your vehicle to travel on? You need to think about this now and not when it is too late. NOW is the time to prepare. Get ready by listening to the National Weather Service, WINS alerts, local radio stations and television stations and social media now for any evacuations. Have your emergency kits packed and ready to go for ALL members of your family (including seniors, infants and pets). Make sure to
include water, non-perishable food, clothing, medicine, medical devices, insurance information and visit BeReadyStClairCounty.org for additional emergency kit information.
Here are some safety measures to take for flooding:
What to do if my house starts to flood:
– Stop the flow of water (sandbag) and minimize damage.
– Move essential items to an upper floor
– Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water
– Shut off water, gas and electricity, if the water has reached any electrical outlets.
If you need to leave your house, you should do the following:
– Secure your home.
– Take your disaster kit (remember medicine, vital documents, food for your unique situation)
– Take your pets and supplies need to care for your pets.
– Shelter locations will be opened in the event you are to leave your home and are in need of sheltering.
Contact your city or township office.
– If you cannot physically leave or have difficulty call your local dispatch at (810) 794-9381 for Clay/Ira Township all others call: (810) 985-8115 or dial 911 in an emergency.
– Notify your insurance company
Emergency workers will be assisting many and may not be able to get to you right away.
What is 2-1-1? St Clair County has partnered with United Way 2-1-1 to help our communities respond to and recover from flooding events. 2-1-1 has a collection of local community based resources that will help individuals and families during emergencies. Call 2-1-1 from any landline or cell phone to talk to a specialist regarding non-life threatening assistance related to the flood. You can also call your local dispatch at (810) 794-9381 for Clay/Ira Township and all others calls use (810) 985-8115.
IF THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY, PLEASE DIAL 9-1-1.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ST. CLAIR COUNTY WINS SYSTEM will be used to contact you in an emergency situation. If you have caller ID, you may not recognize the number, however please answer and receive the information.

The Dementia & Alzheimer’s Resource Committee will hold a special event for those living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and their families on Saturday, May 18, 2019, from 1 to 3:00 p.m. at the American Legion in Marysville.   The Chairman of the Board meets The King of Rock is a family-friendly event for those living with dementia and their family and-or caregiver.  The event has been created especially for all to enjoy as they walk through the dementia journey together.  Participants will take a musical journey down memory lane and enjoy the classic, toe tapping, feel good music of Frank Sinatra & Elvis Presley.  There will also be refreshments and special dance performances by Swing SLAM.  This event is free, but registration is required.  Call 810-990-9558 or visit the website www.darcscc.org for more information.

The Corn Marketing Program of Michigan unveiled a new grant program aimed at increasing the availability of higher-level blends of ethanol fuel to Michigan consumers. The grant is open to fuel retailers in Michigan who want to offer E15, which is fuel blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline.  Currently, almost every gallon of gasoline sold contains 10 percent ethanol. Ethanol provides a non-carcinogenic way to boost the octane of gasoline. Using more ethanol in our fuel also helps clean up Michigan’s air. Ethanol produces 36% less greenhouse gas emissions than regular gasoline.  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, all model 2001 and newer cars can safely operate on E15.  Five grants of $20,000 each will be awarded to retailers throughout Michigan wishing to improve their infrastructure to accommodate E15. The grant money can be used by retailers to update their infrastructure and provide marketing and educational materials for customers.  Retailers wishing to learn more about this grant opportunity should contact the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan at (517) 668-2676.

Blue Water Recovery Outreach Center is a place where people can actively work on their recovery, or help others, attend classes and carry out programs and activities.  It is a centralized location for activities, classes, book studies and volunteer opportunities. According to Center Manager, Patrick Patterson, they celebrate milestones in the recovery community along with publicly thanking and acknowledging volunteers who are he says, the living proof of the organization’s commitment to recovery-oriented social change.  BWROC is holding a 5k Walk/Run on Friday, June 21 at Vantage Point in Port Huron.  Cost is only $10 – and the event is from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.   If you would like to make a donation to the Center, checks can be mailed to BWROC, 525 Court Street.  For further information, call 1-888-68 -BWROC.  Those interested in attending the run/walk can sign up at https://runsignup.com/StridesForRecovery2019

Friends of the St. Clair River is hosting the 6th annual Blue Water Sturgeon Festival on Saturday, June 1st from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse Station Park, 2800 Omar Street, Port Huron. This one-day event is centered on providing close encounters with Lake Sturgeon, Michigan’s Gentle Giant of the Great Lakes. Parking and admission are free.
The festival provides a live sturgeon touch tank, hands-on activities, workshops, adopt a sturgeon program and exclusive Huron Lady Sturgeon Cruises. Lake Sturgeon can grow to more than 6 feet long and weigh more than 100 pounds. St. Clair County has the largest Lake Sturgeon population in the Great Lakes, an estimated 30,000 adults in southern Lake Huron, the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair. Biologists are recording the abundance, distribution, and growth of Lake Sturgeon to better understand their life cycle and movements. The festival draws thousands to get up close and personal with these giants, ask questions to those who study them, and learn about stewardship of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem.  Huron Lady Sturgeon Cruise tickets are available at www.huronlady.com for cruises at 10:00a.m, 11:30
a.m., and 1:00 p.m. Tickets are $25/ person. During the 1-hour guests watch Lake Sturgeon swimming in the St. Clair River via live video by Gregory A.D. scuba divers.  Fifth-grade students in St. Clair County – 600 of them – will get a free Sturgeon Science Cruise May 30- 31 as part of the Sturgeon Festival. Students embark on the Huron Lady II where they interact with
biologists catching, tagging and releasing Lake Sturgeon and scientists studying invasive species, like sea lamprey. Friends of the St. Clair River hatched the Blue Water Sturgeon Festival in 2014 after a group of divers,  environmentalists and scientists wanted to highlight the fascinating story of this ancient fish – a mascot for the Great Lakes and their recovery. Lake Sturgeon are threatened in 7 of the 8 Great Lakes states.  Once on the brink of extinction, their populations are making a comeback and have become a spotlight species for the habitat restoration work completed in the St. Clair River. Funds raised from the Sturgeon Cruise support Friends of the St. Clair River’s conservation and stewardship programs. For more information, visit www.SturgeonFestival.com or contact Sheri Faust, President, Friends of the St. Clair River at (810) 730-5998 or info@scriver.org.

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Sturgeon Brew Benefit Party, May 30, 5 pm – 9 pm, War Water Brewery, St. Clair
Blue Water Sturgeon Festival, June 1, 10 am – 3 pm, Fort Gratiot Light Station Park, Pt Huron
Huron Lady Sturgeon Cruises, June 1, 10 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, Huron Lady Dock, Port Huron

A 48-year-old Sandusky man was pronounced dead at the scene of a traffic crash in Imlay Township early Saturday, Lapeer County Sheriff Department reports.  They say deputies were called to the scene on VanDyke south of Bowers Road just after 5 a.m. Saturday.  According to the Sheriff Department release, a 2005 Toyota Sienna minivan driven by a 41-year-old Hamtramck man was northbound on Van Dyke when he failed to navigate a curve and hit the gravel shoulder.  It appears the driver over-corrected while attempting to reenter the roadway, traveling across the northbound lane, entering the southbound lane in front of two other motorist.  A 2005 Toyota side-swiped a southbound 2018 Chevy Cruz driven by a 24-year-old Imlay City man…the driver was uninjured.  The driver of the 2008 Saturn, Gary Franzel was hit head on by the minvan, whose driver was taken to McLaren in Lapeer with life threatening injuries, then later transported to Hurley Medical Center in Flint.  Preliminary investigation suggest that neither alcohol nor excessive speed are factors, with toxicology pending.