MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — The ground in Muskegon County was already soaked from a major rain events on back-to-back days in late April. So the additional 3-4 inches that fell in Muskegon County Sunday into Monday morning made soggy conditions even worse.
"The water table is up, the rain came, ditches are plugged, everybody is fighting it, I know I'm not the only one," said Fred Plunkett of Laketon Township.
Roads in the township including Fenner, Scenic, River, and Giles were impacted by the heavy rain. Ditches along roads were swelling, the basements and crawl spaces to some homes were filling up.
"Way more water than we expected," said Nic Carothers who was out Monday working to clear a clogged driveway culvert.
On Giles Road homeowner Samantha Fowler had water in the crawl space. Monday afternoon the water has gotten so high it was about six-inches from the home's floorboards and her front yard was completely underwater too.
"It's not going anywhere," Fowler said. "It's pooling into my house."
The Muskegon County Road Commission is monitoring several locations with water over the roads.
A failed culvert on Fenner Road lead to a large section of the road washing out. The road between Buys Road and Green Creek will likely be closed for a few weeks for repairs.
"These ditches haven't been dug in over 20 years," said Plunkett who blames the Muskegon County Road Commission for some of the water in his yard and also in his basement.
"I've got three pumps in my basement going non-stop to try and keep up and the foundation is failing," Plunkett said.
It's that kind of damage from flooding leading to a local emergency declaration in Muskegon County.
The declaration will allow the county to coordinate additional resources for residents who have been impacted by flooding.
Muskegon County Emergency Management Director Richard Warner is asking resident impacted by flooding to email contact information including name and cell number to EM@co.muskegon.mi.us along with photos and a description of the damage.
Residents can ask for non-emergency assistance or report damage from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling 211.
More stories on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.