Michigan flooding displaces thousands, encroaches on chemical plant

A general view shows a flooded street along the Tittabawassee River, after several dams breached, in downtown Midland, Michigan, U.S., May 20, 2020. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

MIDLAND, Mich. (Reuters) - Rising floodwaters unleashed by two dam failures submerged parts of the central Michigan town of Midland on Wednesday, displacing thousands of residents and spreading into a Dow Chemical Co plant in the riverfront city.

By late morning, the company said, floodwaters were confirmed to be "comingling with on-site containment ponds" at the sprawling Dow plant, located just upstream from a Superfund hazardous waste cleanup site on the rain-swollen Tittabawassee River.