The flood of 1986 was a scary time – Consumers Power was afraid that the dams would not hold.
It has been called the 100 year flood. I remember the flood 1986 in in Michigan. The week of September 7th changed that. Sept. 11, 1986 the Muskegon River area experienced 14 inches of rain in a 48-hour period. This short segment is from the 150th Anniversary video produced for Big Rapids.
It was not just in Mecosta County. According to the Midland Daily News “The flood of 1986 is one of the most memorable and terrible events in the history of Midland and much of Michigan. The 500-year flood caused at least $58 million in damages locally.”
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/fQ0cFWSpIps” title=”flood%20of%201986″ rel=”0″]
Where did the term for the 100 year flood come from? In 1886 the dams along the Muskegon river were tested. Six people died and 86 were injured with millions in damage.
The flood 1986, how likely is this to ever happen again? Known as a 100 year flood, even the 500 year flood. There have been flooded areas since then, but not involving the massive areas of real estate as was seen in September 1986.