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Floods cause major damage in Detroit’s Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood

Storms brought heavy rainfall, strong winds through Metro Detroit

DETROIT – Overnight storms caused flooding across Metro Detroit. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a State of Emergency due to the impact of the flooding Saturday.

Read: Metro Detroit storm aftermath: What to know about flooding, power outages, upcoming forecast

Residents spent much of Saturday cleaning up what they could from the devastating floods.

“I just couldn’t believe my eyes, when I came out and see all of the cars submerged throughout the whole neighborhood. I started videotaping it,” said Dwayne Berry.

Dwayne Berry shared that video with Local 4. It captured the moments his street in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood turned into a river instantly. The video also showed the water swallowing his cars that were parked in front of his home.

Read: More than 35,000 DTE Energy customers without power

“Garbage cans were floating down the street. Logs floating down the street,” said Berry.

Berry said he heard the heavy rain late Friday evening, but wasn’t expecting the severe flooding and damage to his cars and home.

“I looked out and my cars were submerged under water. My work car -- which is the Jetta -- is going crazy. My Camaro, the lights were on, the wipers are going back and forth,” said Berry.

Berry was not alone.

His neighbors also woke up to the damage. Many were forced to push their cars out of the middle of the street. Crews started the clean up process in the Jefferson Chalmers area Saturday afternoon.

“The water came all the way up to the mirrors,” said Berry.

Doc Banks also lives in the neighborhood. He said this is not the first time, their area has flooded.

“We have flash floods,” Banks said. “This happened before where flash floods come and it really puts people in distress.”

And now they’re bracing for more rain.

Related: Live weather radar: Tracking more rain, storms in SE Michigan


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