The Bay County (MI) Sheriff’s Office is standing at ready to deploy a 39,000-pound military-grade vehicle if needed to rescue people affected by flooding after the failure of Edenville Dam and breach of Sanford Dam, both in neighboring Midland County, the sheriff said.
Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham said he touched base with Midland County Sheriff Scott Stephenson and Michigan State Police Tri-City Post Commander Mark Burch on the evening of Tuesday, May 19, the same day the two dams were compromised due to excess water from days of heavy rainfall. He was told manpower from Cunningham’s deputies wasn’t needed at that time, though they might need it in the future, MLive reports.
In the meantime, the sheriff’s office made sure its 2008 Mine-Resistant Ambush Resistant (MRAP) truck is ready to go to aid in assisting people whose homes are evacuated. The sheriff’s office acquired the approximately 12-foot-tall MRAP in August 2017 from the Department of Defense under the 1033 Program. Its tires alone are about 3 feet tall and its doors weigh 800 pounds. It can hold a maximum 25,000 pounds and eight seated people, driver included.
Cunningham previously said the vehicle would be used in rescue operations. It was first deployed in April 2018 to help extricate Bangor Township residents affected by shoreline flooding.
