Detroit Historic Flooding

http://www.wunderground.com/news/detroit-flooding-historic-freeways-closed-20140812

By Nick Wiltgen
Published: August 12, 2014

- Detroit's wettest day in 89 years flooded at least five freeways

- Some roads may be closed for days; copper theft blamed for some pump failures

- At least 1,000 cars and likely thousands of basements flooded

- Auto production slowed due to flooding-related disruptions

Two women died and thousands of motorists were caught on flooded freeways and streets Monday as Detroit and its suburbs were inundated with record-shattering rainfall during the afternoon rush. Parts of at least five major freeways remained closed at noon Tuesday, some 16 hours after the deluge ended, and officials said some roads may not reopen for days.

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"I've lived in this area 40 years, and can't ever recall all the major expressways closing for flooding like happened in today's storms," said Jeff Masters, director of meteorology for The Weather Channel's sister company, Weather Underground.

This observation was backed up by Detroit native WDIV-TV Local 4 meteorologist Paul Gross.

"I have lived my entire life and worked my entire career here, and I have never seen as widespread a flooding event. I also remember some individual intense thunderstorms that flooded one freeway. But I don't ever remember every freeway being flooded out."

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