PORTAGE, Ind. – The lakefront community of Portage has declared a state of emergency due to rising water levels in Lake Michigan.

Portage’s Mayor, Sue Lynch, announced on Friday that work is needed to protect the city’s shoreline and the Indiana Dunes National Park.

This comes after lawmakers have recently urged Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to declare a state of emergency for the entirety of the Lake Michigan shoreline.

The emergency is set to remain in effect for seven days.

Officials will consider extending the emergency indefinitely at a meeting on January 14th.