daveg
Trail Wise!
Michigan
Posts: 565 
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Post by daveg on Jun 23, 2017 22:15:29 GMT -8
Yesterday, we got six inches of rain in eight hours. At midnight I got a flash flood alert on my cell phone.
My house is a split level located in the country on a river. The lower level is built into a slope about 100 feet from the river's bank. My obvious concern was that the river would overflow its bank. I checked the level of the water when I got the alert and about every two hours during the night. It never rose above the bank so I figured my house was safe.
However, my wife woke me up in the morning and told me the sump in the lower level was full of water. The water level was just an inch lower than the top of the concrete slab beneath the finished flooring. Apparently, water flowing through the ground toward the river was upwelling in the sump. I grabbed a utility pump and ran a hose out the downstairs door and into the yard. Thankfully, the pump's outflow was slightly greater than the amount of water coming into the sump. But it took 13 hours of continuous running to get the water in the sump down to a level I was comfortable with.
Saturday morning two other rivers in the county are expected to crest at the second highest level in recorded history. Local news article.
I got lucky. Others had it and will have it a lot worse.
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BigLoad
Trail Wise!
Pancakes!
Posts: 12,936
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Post by BigLoad on Jun 24, 2017 8:23:44 GMT -8
That sounds about as close as you could get without actually flooding. Did you have any damage to your yard or driveway?
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Hungry Jack
Trail Wise!
Living and dying in 3/4 time...
Posts: 3,809
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Post by Hungry Jack on Jun 24, 2017 11:39:39 GMT -8
I enjoyed the video of the guy riding his sea-doo through his back yard
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Post by autumnmist on Jun 24, 2017 11:59:29 GMT -8
I didn't realize you lived in Michigan. I had seen the radar reports of the heavy rain and was watching to see if it came down as low as we are, but fortunately we were spared.
That must have been a harrowing night and morning for you. Did you have any kayaks or boats anchored in the river?
I'm glad it wasn't any worse than it was.
I don't recall that much rain in Michigan in quite some time, if ever, during my lifetime.
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daveg
Trail Wise!
Michigan
Posts: 565
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Post by daveg on Jun 24, 2017 19:48:36 GMT -8
Did you have any damage to your yard or driveway? Some standing water in the low, flat areas but no apparent damage to the yard or driveway. A drainage ditch runs along the east side of our property and that handled a lot of the runoff. And lots of grass, trees, and brush in the yard and on the bank of the river prevented any serious erosion. That must have been a harrowing night and morning for you. Did you have any kayaks or boats anchored in the river? "Harrowing" is probably too strong a term but, yes, there was a certain level of anxiety. The river is really not suitable for a dock or anchoring boats. I have a canoe but it is stored well away from the river. I don't recall that much rain in Michigan in quite some time, if ever, during my lifetime. We were living on the same property during the flood of 1986. That flood was worse statistically but the impact of this one seemed worse to me. In any case, one flood every 30 years is more than enough. |
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daveg
Trail Wise!
Michigan
Posts: 565
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Post by daveg on Jun 27, 2017 21:21:49 GMT -8
This is a photo of the equipment being used to dry out the downstairs/basement level of the public library. Not visible are two large propane tanks which I assume provide fuel to heat the air in the ducting.
From what I've been told, everything in the lower level, which included the children's and youth collections, was ruined and the damage brought at least one of the librarians to tears. The library is located on high ground so it was rainwater, not river flooding, that caused the damage.
In certain sections of town, large piles of stuff removed from flooded basements line the curbs.
Tragic and sobering.
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walkswithblackflies
Trail Wise!
Resident terrorist-supporting eco-freak bootlicker
Posts: 6,934
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Jun 29, 2017 7:05:07 GMT -8
Yikes! The joys of living in a flood plain (I myself am one). Mostly great... wildlife viewing, fishing, and kayaking from the backyard... but with a few ass-puckering days thrown into the mix.
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