River Raisin Flooding Leaves Roads, Parks Swamped; Post Office Relocated
DUNDEE, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - Flooding along the River Raisin in Monroe County left some roads and parks swamped on Tuesday as area residents and business owners took precautions to keep floodwaters from causing more damage.
Flood warnings were in effect for communities including Dundee and Monroe follow heavy weekend rains, the National Weather Service said, and the river was expected to crest by later in the day.
M-50 in Dundee has been closed, including a bridge in downtown, after water washed over the roadway, the Michigan Department of Transportation said. The River Raisin rose more quickly in the area than anticipated.
"When the water touches the bridge, it adds pressure to the beams and causes stress on the bridge, so it has to be closed," Dave Uhl, manager of the Village of Dundee, told the Monroe News.
With the water level about 10 feet above normal Tuesday morning, officials said the post office was being temporarily relocated with all P.O. Box and retail mail services to the Monroe Post Office.
Michael Slabe, a village trustee and volunteer, said they're ready for about anything when it comes to flooding.
"The village of Dundee has had a grip on these floods for several years," he told WWJ Newsradio 950. "They've had three in the past six years now. We're pretty much used to handling it, and we're used to helping people who need it, and we're used to dealing with what occurs with a flood."
Amy Valentine, whose yard backs up to the river, said this is the worst she's seen.
"We've only been here three years, and when we moved they said it was the worst flooding — and it never hit the play set," Valentine said. "Now it's past the play set... I think I'm gonna go home and get flood insurance."
Sean Wilson, the owner of Lucky Dogs Credit and Cars and Dundee U-Haul, monitored the waters using a webcam Monday night and was out early Tuesday preparing for potential flooding.
"I got up every couple of hours to check it," Wilson told the newspaper Tuesday morning, when the water was about 40 yards from his building.
Wilson worked at the business during floods in 2011 that brought about 8 inches of water in parts of the building. He said they moved everything off the lot on Monday and that hundreds of sandbags were put into place.
Dundee also has sandbags ready to give to residents and business owners, Uhl said.
Meanwhile, crews in Kalamazoo pumped water from a flooded minor league baseball park, the Kalamazoo Gazette said. The overflowing Kalamazoo River swamped Homer Stryker Field on Saturday, prompting the Kalamazoo Growlers to postpone several games.
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