Upcoming storms expected to worsen Lansing flooding

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Road closures and flooded basements from the recent rain are only expected to worsen with Wednesday’s thunderstorms. In Lansing, 24 people called public service to report water in their basements since Monday morning. The most impacted areas are those next to rivers.

Located on a floodplain right next to the Red Cedar River, MSU’s baseball, softball, and soccer complex sees quite a bit of flooding when it rains.

“It is kind of a shame, you know sometimes we lose a few games here and there due to flooding, but obviously we will do everything we can to make sure we get the games in,” said Andy Flynn, MSU’s Athletic Turf Manager.

He said it’s a bit of a headache to manage, with the areas around the fields almost always full of water.

“If it’s a major flood, sometimes it’s a total renovation where we’re replacing all of the grass. The soccer fields we can survive if those go underwater, but if we start getting water out on the baseball softball fields it’s a whole other animal,” said Flynn.

At the Lansing River Trail in Old Town, portions of the walkway are completely covered by the Grand River. This type of flooding near rivers is expected to worsen with tomorrow’s thunderstorm.

“At this time of the year especially, just make sure you’re checking down in your basement,” said Andy Kilpatrick, Director of Public Service in Lansing.

if you experience flooding at your home contact public service, call your insurance company, and take pictures.

“I mean I had some water in my basement a couple of days ago from the rain,” said Kilpatrick, “You wanna make sure that your downspouts (gutter drains) are directed as far away from your house as possible, any other kind of drain you have, make sure those are cleared, and if you see water in your basement you want to take care of it as quickly as possible.”

Flooding can be dangerous, so be sure to use caution and consult the experts before getting too close. If you see water covering the road, you should turn around and find a different route. The amount of water on the road can look misleading.

The city of Lansing has a lot of information about flooding prevention, and flooding repairs. You can find that information by clicking here.

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