Credit steve carmody / Michigan Radio
More than ten months after a devastating flood, a Sanford institution is reopening on Easter Sunday.
The May 19 failures of the Edenville and Sanford dams after days of heavy rain contributed to a 500-year flood event that inundated parts of Midland and Gladwin counties. Thousands of people were forced from their homes. The flood caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
The scars of the 500-year flood event are still visible in Sanford, but so are signs of rebuilding.
Melissa Ayotte’s family has owned the Red Oak restaurant in Sanford since 1973. She says the flood waters rose to nearly the ceiling of the one story brick building.