UTICA, Mich. – Things started to look a lot more like normal around Utica on Friday as the flood waters from the Clinton River that had overtaken parts of Macomb County this week began to slowly recede.
But residents still didn’t have to go far to see how much of a mess has been created by the flood.
“We get flooded like this about once a year in the Spring, and then in the Fall we get another flood,” Bernadine Musielak, who has lived at her home in Utica for 15 years, said. “This was a huge one, a really big one. We didn’t expect this.”
Whether it’s backyards and driveways, the park, or even the driving range, the Clinton River has created a massive mess this week. A flood gauge on Davis Dr., near Musielak’s home, showed the waters had risen nearly 3 feet.
The flood waters killed flowers, inundated her backyard, and nearly covered an RV that sits alongside her home.
“We’ve had several people over here looking at this mess,” Musielak said. “This is actually, really the worst it’s ever been, and it’s killed any plants I had over on that side.”
“It smells too,” she added. “It stinks.”
The Clinton River is still unsafe for any recreational use. The unstable riverbanks, strong currents, potential sewage contamination, and hazardous debris have created dangerous conditions and increase the risk of injury or accidental drowning.
“What we’re kind of seeing is the river just kind of getting up getting up over its banks very quickly moving through and now it’s kind of starting to recede a little bit,” Brandon Lewis, communications director for Macomb County Emergency Management, said. “Heritage Park has a tendency to flood, and I know, unfortunately, those residents see it quite a bit, but it is starting to move through.”
Barring another big rainfall over the weekend, Lewis says resident should start to see things get better over the next 48 hours.
“Avoid the water,” Lewis said. “Water’s powerful. We don’t know what’s in it.”
“Respect it, wait for it to come down,” he added, “and then go about cleanup and restoration.”