BREACHED!! The Tittabawassee River Disaster, Pt. 2: The Recovery

On May 19, 2020, two dams on the Tittabawassee River system breached after the area received several inches of rain. Wixom and Sanford lakes essentially emptied in just a matter of hours. Amazingly, no lives were lost, but thousands felt the impact as their homes and businesses were heavily damaged or destroyed.

In Delta College Public Media’s 2020 documentary, BREACHED! The Tittabawassee River Disaster, producers Ron Beacom and Bob Przybylski explored the immediate aftermath of this catastrophe and told the stories of the people trying to put their lives and communities back together. One year later, see where they are now.

BREACHED!! The Tittabawassee River Disaster, Pt. 2: The Recovery looks at efforts to pick up the pieces, to help people recover both emotionally and physically, and for the community to move forward.

Join us as we examine how the Four Lakes Task Force is leading efforts to rebuild the dams and restore the lakes. We profile devastated businesses that have reopened their doors. We revisit people we talked to in the original BREACHED! to see how far they’ve come in rebuilding their homes.

Learn about ongoing issues in the affected areas, such as concerns over lakebed safety, erosion on the former shore, and hundreds of compromised wells. Plus, see the human side of recovery, from drive-up meal programs to the “Sanford Shines” event to bring the community together during the holidays.

BREACHED!! The Tittabawassee River Disaster, Pt. 2: The Recovery premiers Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 8 pm followed by a special one-hour edition of The Follow Up with Mike Redford devoted to the disaster.

Trailer

Original Airdate

• Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021