Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) blamed climate change for flooding that occurred in Detroit last weekend, but dozens of pumping stations lacked power.
Whitmer addressed reporters from the middle of the closed interstate, which was submerged underwater nearby.
“These are hard days. Three weeks into my time as governor, we had the Polar Vortex,” a winter storm that plunged the region into a deep freeze.
“Then we had COVID, then we had a 500-year flooding event” in the Midland area after rain overwhelmed dams. “Now we have another big flooding event,” she complained.
“This is climate change,” Whitmer declared. “This is a moment and a need for us to help one another, but also to do the hard work of protecting ourselves going forward and that is doing everything we can to address climate change and building resilient infrastructure.”
The governor also said, “we’ve got to decrease our carbon footprint.”
But the Detroit News reported many of the problems stemmed from faulty pumping stations maintained by the city of Detroit:
At least 28 of Metro Detroit’s 140 freeway pump stations didn’t have power or had mechanical problems Saturday afternoon, resulting in closed freeways. Michigan State Police urged drivers and residents to not enter floodwaters, especially after some were seen swimming with pool toys.
The Michigan State Police issued a warning Sunday– READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --