Michigan dam flooding highlights risks to aging US infrastructure

Record flooding last month pushed several northern Michigan dams close to failure, with water nearly spilling over a key barrier in one city. The events have renewed calls to address the nation's aging dams amid intensifying storms driven by climate change.

Flooding across northern Michigan last month swelled rivers to record levels. At the Cheboygan Dam, water came within 5 inches of flowing over the top on April 16, prompting officials to consider evacuations. In Bellaire, crews placed about 1,000 sandbags around a century-old structure to prevent overflow.

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Flooded towns in Chaco province, Argentina, with submerged streets, stranded vehicles, evacuating residents, and heavy rain from extreme storm.
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Extreme rains flood towns in Chaco province interior

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A storm with record rainfall over 300 mm hit Chaco province interior on April 20, leaving towns underwater, roads impassable and several emergencies. Espinillo recorded 320 mm, while a factory in Juan José Castelli was flooded affecting 45 workers. The National Meteorological Service maintains an orange alert for storms.

The National Weather Service has issued flood watches throughout Michigan due to ongoing rain and potential heavy downpours on Wednesday. Showers and storms could lead to flooding in rivers, creeks, and urban areas, with additional winter weather advisories for freezing rain and snow in parts of the state. Power outages have been reported, though most customers remain unaffected.

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Much of the Western United States has experienced one of its warmest winters on record, leaving snowpack at historic lows and prompting warnings of drought and wildfires this summer. An early March heat wave pushed temperatures into triple digits across multiple states. Experts describe the conditions as unprecedented, with no historical parallels.

The Trump administration has announced it will shift management of the $1.15 billion Brandon Road Interbasin Project from Illinois to Michigan amid a feud with Governor JB Pritzker. The project aims to block invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes via a multi-technology barrier in the Des Plaines River. Illinois officials have vowed to fight the move in court.

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An international team led by the University of Portsmouth has cataloged more than 3,100 surging glaciers worldwide that can suddenly accelerate, triggering floods, avalanches and other hazards. These glaciers, concentrated in regions like the Arctic and Karakoram Mountains, affect nearly one-fifth of global glacier area despite comprising just 1 percent of all glaciers. Climate change is altering their behavior, increasing unpredictability.

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