Downtown Grand Rapids flooded

VILLAGE OF GRAND RAPIDS - Barricades blocked downtown Grand Rapids Wednesday night as the Maumee River continued its rise. Several inches of water stood in the middle of the street at lapped at the doorways of several stores and restaurants. The fire department reported at least five businesses had water inside of them.

The Grand Rapids Fire Department was on stand-by, too. Water completely surrounded the headquarters. The Wood County Sheriff’s Office mobile command vehicle sat nearby in case the fire department was forced to evacuate.

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MORE: Defiance river rise; drown streets (from LIN-TV sister station WANE.com)
VIEW: NOAA Advanced Hydrologic Prediction webpage
VIEW: WeatherStreet.com Precipitation Forecast
LINK: ISOH/IMPACT Flood donation Web site
LINK: Buckeye Traffic Realtime Road Closures

 

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According to the Wood County Emergency Management Agency, heavy rain overnight Tuesday caught the town off guard.

"This morning the water came up over the banks of the Maumee River and we anticipated some flooding issues, but I think we got more rain last night than we hoped," said EMA Director Brad Gilbert.

The National Weather Service reported the Maumee River in Grand Rapids to be at 19.5 feet and rising at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday. Flood stage is 15 feet. The river is expected to crest early Thursday morning.

Several downtown Grand Rapids business owners expressed concern over the flooding. However, they were not worried about the water as much as they were customers coming to town.

"We look at it, we're concerned, but we're always prepared.” said Terri Elling, owner of the Garden Gate. “That's how we look at water in Grand Rapids."

Elling said the majority of the downtown boutiques and specialty shops were open Wednesday, despite the water running down the street. She hopes the flood doesn’t keep shoppers away, and has this message for them.

Elling said, “You come and watch the water rise, now we want you to come back and watch it recede because it is here today and tomorrow it is gone.”