EAST CHINA, Mich. – A State of Emergency was declared in Saint Clair County due to the flooding along its titular river -- and ongoing cold weather is expected to bring more ice jams, causing more flooding concerns for residents.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for southeastern Saint Clair County until 10 a.m. Tuesday.
READ: State of Emergency declared in St. Clair County due to flood damage
“We had some high winds come out of the north, brought a lot of ice down the river, caused a jam,” said resident Rodney Kuefler.
It’s a situation Rodney Kuefler thought he was prepared to handle.
“Although I had 1,500 sandbags around my house, it wasn’t enough,” Kuefler said.
The jam forced the St. Clair River to overflow, causing water to surround the homes nearby.
READ: Ice jams cause significant flooding along St. Clair River
“Came right over the top. I had two pumps inside my house running as strong as they could,” Kuefler said. “When they got overwhelmed, it put out the power, so I had to shut off the gas and the water and leave the house.”
The St. Clair County resident is not alone. His neighbors in the East China area, like Michelle and Bryan Ivey, are also dealing with flooding.
“The water is already coming into the garage. We can’t even open the garage anymore,” Michelle Ivey said. “I come outside and I see that the water is approaching the porch from the front.”
“The water continued up into the rest of the house,” said Bryan Ivey. “This is just too much,”
Citizens who are impacted by flooding to their properties are encouraged to utilize the online self-reporting survey to catalogue and report damage. Photos may also be included.
More information on the survey can be found on the Be Ready St. Clair County website here or its official Facebook page here.
You can watch Larry Spruill’s full report in the video above.
❄️ Click here to see the winter weather forecast for this weekend and next week.
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