National Weather Service extends flood warnings, many area rivers continue to rise

The Grand River continues to rise with it expected to reach 21 feet. Flood stage for the Grand River is 18 feet in Grand Rapids.

The National Weather Service has extended flood warnings this morning for the Grand River and the Thornapple River. The warnings extended include:

The Thornapple River is expected to rise to near 10.9 feet by midnight tonight. Flood state is 10 feet in Caledonia.

Thornapple River Near Caledonia: extended until Monday morning. Thursday the stage was 10.7 feet. Flood stage is 10.0 feet. The river will continue rising to near 10.9 feet by after midnight tonight. The river will fall below flood stage Sunday before midnight.

Grand River in Ada: extended from this evening to Tuesday morning. Thursday the stage was 18.7 feet. Flood stage is 20.0 feet. Moderate flooding expected, with levels to rise above flood stage by this evening and continue to rise to near 22.5 feet by Saturday morning. The river will fall below flood stage by Monday evening.

Grand River at Grand Rapids: extended until Tuesday evening. Thursday the stage was 15.5 feet (flood stage is 18.0 feet). The forecast calls for the river to rise above flood stage after midnight tonight and continue to rise to near 21.0 feet by early afternoon Saturday. The river will fall below flood stage by Tuesday morning.

Grand River at Lowell: until late Tuesday night. Thursday the stage was 15.1 feet; flood stage is 15.0 feet. Moderate flooding is expected as the river will continue rising to near 18.4 feet by tomorrow evening. The river will fall below flood stage Tuesday morning.

Staff from Kent County Emergency Management continue to work with communities and agencies for flood response. “The flooding in 2013 reached historic levels and taught us lessons that we are holding true to today,” said Jack Stewart, Kent County Emergency Management Coordinator. “If you live in an area that is flooding and feel the situation could become dangerous, evacuate immediately. We were fortunate nearly five years ago that while there was property damage, no one was injured. We anticipate the next few days to be the most critical during this event.”

County, State, or Federal funding is not available for those who suffer personal property damage. “Residents who experience property damage should contact their insurance company immediately,” said Kent County Drain Commissioner Ken Yonker. “We’ve heard from some residents who are confused about any funding, but the bottom line is homes that are built in low flood plains, drainage easements and natural water flow lands that are flooding are the responsibility of the home owner.”

Two sites are providing residents updates about flooding along with information and fact sheets:

Kent County: www.accesskent.com/News/flood

Grand Rapids: www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Home/Emergency-Announcements/Important-Weather-Update

“We continue to closely monitor the river levels and are using our fire department drone for daily observations of conditions,” Fire Chief John Lehman said. “We plan to post video from the drone on the City’s social media channels.” Grand Rapids residents with concerns about the water levels and questions may call the City’s 311 Customer Service at 311 or 616-456-3000.

Kent County Road Commission crews are investigating standing water and flooded areas and placing barricades and flashers where necessary. Please slow down and heed warnings and closures. “We are also collaborating with neighboring road agencies to coordinate emergency response efforts. Road closures and other vital information will be updated throughout the event and posted to kentcountyroads.net, Facebook and Twitter,” said Steve Warren, Managing Director. Crews will continue clearing catch basins, cleaning spillways, removing debris and patching potholes.

Again, reminders regarding flooding:

Turn Around, Don’t Drown. This National Weather Service motto reminds us of the danger of floodwaters. Just two feet of floodwaters can sweep away a car. If you see flood water in the road, or barricades/signs posted on roads, for your safety and that of first responders, please turn around and take a different route.

Do not try to walk or swim through flood waters. River and creek waters can move fast and carry debris that can be dangerous. Six inches of fast-moving flood water can knock people off their feet.

If you have water in your home/basement, it could be contaminated with pollutants. Handle items that come in contact with flood waters with care, either by disposing of wet items or when possible, cleaning wet items with a disinfectant.

Keep pets away from flood waters.

If you live in an area prone to flooding, make sure personal identification items (i.e. passports and birth certificates) are protected. Back up computer files and keep them in a safe place or store them in a cloud-based service.