Snyder Declares State of Emergency in Macomb County After Fraser Sinkhole
The sinkhole, which is 250-feet long and 100-feet wide, occurred on Christmas Eve.
Governor Rick Snyder is declaring a state of emergency for Macomb County in the wake of a large sinkhole that developed in the city of Fraser. County officials say a sewer line collapse occurred on Christmas Eve, resulting in the sinkhole and the evacuation of 23 Fraser homes. The sinkhole, which is 250-feet long and 100-feet wide, has caused the county to pump sewage into the Clinton River in order to prevent flooding in homes. With the disaster declaration, the Michigan State Police has the authority to coordinate the state’s response, according to Snyder press secretary Anna Heaton.
“They will conduct damage assessments which is a normal routine process that they follow. They’ll be surveying all the effected areas. One of the reasons in this case that we acted quickly to declare the emergency is because of the potential to impact Selfridge airport base if the underground damage spreads far enough, so that’s something they’ll be looking at.”
Anna Heaton, Press Secretary for Governor Rick Snyder
Heaton said repairs could cost $100 million and affect 200,000 homes and businesses, though the total extent of the damage is unknown. In 2004, Macomb County spent $55 million repairing a sinkhole in Sterling Heights. That problem was caused by a sewer line collapse along 15 Mile Road.
