Access to part of Point restored, Snyder declares state of emergency

LITTLE GIRL'S POINT - With cheering occupants, a line of cars crossed the bridge over Oman's Creek, heading east on Lake Road shortly before 4 p.m. Friday, signaling the restoration of access to part of Little Girl's Point.

The vehicles were the first to cross the bridge and leave the Point since heavy rains and flooding washed out a number of culverts in the area Monday night.

Divers inspected the bridge's foundation Friday morning, according to Gogebic County Road Commission Engineer-Manager Darren Pionk, to ensure it remained structurally sound.

The divers found "some damage, but nothing that is detrimental at this time," Pionk said.

The storm had cut off much of the Point from outside access, but crews completed work on temporary repairs to the wash-outs at Oman's Creek Friday afternoon. The work extends the accessible road to one mile west of Oman's Creek, where Gogebic County Road Commission crews continue working on a temporary road over a washed-out culvert just west of Stanley Ribich's property.

Gogebic County Sheriff Pete Matonich said the work on that culvert was expected to be completed by this afternoon, further extending the open road.

He wasn't comfortable giving a time-line for the full opening of the road.

"All we can say for sure is this mile is open and we're working on the next mile," Matonich said.

An estimated 10 to 15 wash-outs remain in the four miles of Lake Road still closed, according to Pionk.

While access has been restored, county officials stress the roads are for locals only and shouldn't be used unless necessary.

"Please be respectful of the construction crews and residents and stay out of the area," Matonich said.

He credited the hard work of county employees and private companies for the completion of the work, but added the effort was far from over.

Work is also continuing on Brace and Powers roads as workers attempt to provide access to everyone impacted by the storm.

Prior to the opening of the road, county officials working at the emergency operating center in the Gogebic County Courthouse at Bessemer estimated approximately 45 people remained at Little Girl's Point. They said they had contacted everyone at the Point they were aware of and brought necessary supplies to them, while evacuating those who wished to leave.

"There's nobody out there who doesn't want to be there," Lt. Don Brown, with the Michigan State Police's Emergency Management Division, told the Daily Globe.

Power has been restored to those who stayed, Matonich said, and work was continuing to restore phone lines.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has declared a state of emergency in the parts of Gogebic County impacted by the storm.

He was sending members of the Michigan National Guard to assist with the recovery.

The declaration also potentially allows access to additional funding sources to assist with the recovery effort.

According to a release from the governor's office, up to 40 soldiers will be deployed to "assist in clearing debris and re-establishing roadways."

It is the third time Snyder has activated the National Guard. The first was in 2012 during Duck Lake wildfire and the second was in response to the Flint water crisis earlier this year.

Gogebic County officials released a statement saying they expected the soldiers to arrive this weekend.

Several Point residents expressed disappointment with the delay in issuing the declaration and response from the state government, saying they felt "forgotten." They said Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker issued an emergency declaration Tuesday and took a helicopter tour of the flooded areas that same day.

While the priority continues to be extending roads to the remaining occupants of the Point, Pionk said it will be awhile before Lake Road is returned to its former state. A portion of the west end of the road is to stay closed indefinitely, Pionk said, where a washed out crossing west of Maki Creek created a 30-foot deep ravine.