INDIAN RIVER — As floodwaters slowly recede across the Cheboygan watershed, the recovery effort in Indian River has shifted into a long-term phase that organizers say will stretch well into the summer.
Vicki Morgan said her community is responding to residents at multiple stages of crisis at once.
“We have people who are still underwater,” Morgan said. “We have people who are in recovery. We have people who are now without flood insurance and trying to figure out how they handle that.”
Morgan said the community has been distributing food and gas vouchers, gloves, shop bags, and garbage bags to affected residents. A community dinner generated revenue for relief efforts, and donations have allowed organizers to help replace basic furniture for displaced families.
“We’ve helped some folks get a little bit of furniture, some basics, a couch, a chair, a dresser, all second-hand,” Morgan said.
The community has launched the Indian River Community Relief Project, which Morgan said is helping residents address the most immediate displacement needs.
“Emergency displacement doesn’t mean you’ve been saving to move,” Morgan said. “It means you have to move right away. And so we’re hoping that those dollars are going to really address emergency needs for folks affected by the flood.”
She said the Cheboygan County Health Department is offering free water testing kits at its office for residents whose wells may have been contaminated by the flooding, and a debris pickup system is being planned to help residents dispose of flood-damaged furniture, drywall, and construction waste.
“We’re really working on how to get rid of all of this debris from your couch in your cabinets, to also your drywall and construction debris,” Morgan said. “That is now super heavy and hard to transport.”
Morgan said local contractors handling water removal are fully booked, and that home-lifting has emerged as one option some residents may consider in flood-prone areas.
She said the scale of the damage is comparable to last year’s northern Michigan ice storm.
“I would say this is as catastrophic, if not greater than, the ice storm,” Morgan said. “The one thing that was great is that we didn’t lose power. And so that allowed people to either sustain themselves where they were, but also deal with mitigation on their own.”
Morgan said the flooding is also threatening the Indian River’s tourism economy, with debris flowing through rivers used for boating, fishing, kayaking, and canoeing. Some bookings on the Sturgeon River have already been canceled.
“It is premature today to stop coming to Indian River,” Morgan said. “We still have a beautiful place to offer, and we are working hard to deal with this storm.”
She said area beaches, restaurants, and music festivals are open, including Old Fashion Days in June.
“I do think this is a mighty community, a strong community,” Morgan said. “And they will help each other.”
Morgan said a community relief fund has been established to help residents facing emergency displacement, including support for security deposits and getting electricity or gas turned on at new residences.
She said she’s also begun meeting with the township supervisor to plan for future emergencies, and credited federal disaster assistance, FEMA support, and a state emergency declaration with helping to bring resources to the area.
The Red Cross has provided cleanup buckets and tools, but is no longer offering shelter at this stage of the recovery, Morgan said. The Glow community center in downtown Indian River remains open and active.
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