By David Fleet

Editor

   Ian Gannon has grown accustom to inclement weather.

The 23 year old, 2013 Goodrich High School graduate is currently a junior at Michigan Technological University located in Houghton, where he is studying geological engineering.

The university of about 7,000 students is situated on the Keweenaw Peninsula between the shores of Lake Superior.

“We get lots of big storms,” said Gannon, last week.  “The weather moves in across Lake Superior and dumps a lot of snow real fast sometimes. But never anything like the storm last weekend. I just happened so fast.”

According to the National Weather Service, in the early morning hours of June 17 massive storms swept across the Upper Peninsula in Houghton County causing historic flood damage and dozens of sinkholes, leaving roads impassable and residents stuck in their homes, local officials said. At least one person has since died as a result of the storm.

The Sunday morning deluge dumped as much as 6 inches of rain causing flash flooding in some areas, officials at the National Weather Service reported. Sections of roads, including US-41 and M-26 and M-203, were were inaccessible and debris-covered. Late Sunday, the Michigan Department of Transportation said US-41 had partially reopened. M-26, from Tamarack and Dollar Bay, and M-203, at Brooks Road between Hancock and Calumet, were closed.

Gannon lives in a home near the campus. On Saturday night he attended the fireworks to celebrate Bridgefrest in downtown Houghton.

“It started raining lightly during the fireworks,” said Gannon. “Then about 1 a.m. there was an intense thunder and lighting storm. I really did not think much of it so I went to bed. When I got up on Sunday about 8 a.m. a friend called me and asked, ‘how I was doing?’ He could not get out of his house due to the roads, a mile either way were just gone.”

Gannon’s home was not damaged. However, other homes and property we not so lucky.

“My street was fine,” he said. “But just a few miles away the damage was crazy.”

The weather service on June called the flood damage in the southern and central Houghton County “a particularly dangerous situation.” On the campus of MTU the administration building basement flooded with more than 4 feet of water, prompting the closing of school on Monday.

“The flood took out sidewalks, bridges and whole streets,” he said. “The locals say this storm was worse ever. It’s just amazing how powerful this storm was and the damage looks like a war zone.”