Melting snow, rain leads to flooding in Mid-Michigan - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(01/29/13) - The rain, coupled with the melting snow, caused some problems in yards and roads across Mid-Michigan.

In Grand Blanc, three cars ended up stuck along South Saginaw between Center and Hill Road.

Grand Blanc Police say it was dark out, and before the drivers realized they were in trouble, their cars were partially submerged. Everyone got out of the water safely.

Another trouble spot was Natalie Drive near South Saginaw Street, in Burton. The roadway turned into a pond. One driver tells us everything looked fine, and then all of a sudden there was a rush of water.

Burton Police were able to get to two people inside, out of the car. They're OK, just shaken up and wet.

Police say people just need to use common sense when confronted with these conditions. They say if you see a flooded road, don't chance it - just turn around.

"When people see any low spot, they should slow down if they're going to hit some water. It can only get deeper as you go into a lower spot, so you just got to pay attention and drive for the conditions," said Lt. Chris Rhind, with the Grand Blanc Police Department.

In Flint Township, some residents woke up to a messy situation in their neighborhood. In the area called Utley Hills, off Corunna, near I -75, many of the neighborhood roads are gravel. Tuesday morning, they were covered with ice.

As the temperatures rose and the ice melted - much of it ended up along the road, and in yards. As a result, the Road Commission sent out a grader. It spent hours going up and down each road.

"They are scrapping the ice off the surface of the road so that you've got the gravel is exposed and it will actually help hold the water, and meter the water out to the ditch that's alongside the road," said John Daly, of the Genesee County Road Commission.

The grader was a welcome sight to Amanda Cook.

"Especially over through here, like the back neighborhood over here, it's horrible over there," she said.

Cook lives in the Flint Township neighborhood, on a gravel road - at the bottom of the road.

"Getting here's OK, getting up the road is another story," she said.

But it's not just the hilly areas of Utley Hills that are a challenge.

"We were overwhelmed by the amount of water we had. Couple with that the ground was frozen, so it's not absorbing any water. We're still on the gravel roads, still had a lot of ice that was left on there so the water ran off of that," Daly said.

That allows the water to drain better, and removes unnecessary ice.

There have also been reports of flooding problems to the north, in Saginaw County, where many streams and rivers make their way to the Saginaw River and Saginaw Bay.

At one point, the road commission had to close Burt Road because it was covered in water and considered dangerous for drivers. The water quickly receded and the road was open a short time later.

Crews from the road commission say they haven't run into to many problems Tuesday. There are a few roads in the county that have standing water on them, but all of the roads are considered passable, and signs have been put up to warn drivers about the water in those areas.

The Saginaw County Road Commission came out Tuesday morning to clear the catch basin, and the water has gone down considerably.

Police and the Road Commission worry Wednesday morning's commute may be a repeat of Tuesday. That could mean flooded roads in the morning, followed by potentially frozen roads later in the day as the temperatures drop.