DETROIT, Mich. — Highways are still littered with stranded and submerged cars two days after historic rains crippled Metro Detroit.
The busiest interchange in the state, I-696 at I-75, remains closed Wednesday morning as residents wonder about the lasting impact of the flooding.
The floods have already claimed the lives of two women: a 100-year-old woman from Warren and a 30-year-old woman from Sterling Heights.
Michigan Department of Transportation workers and Michigan State Police are working around the clock to try to clear debris from the roads and pump out the standing water. It could be weeks, possibly months, before things get back to normal on many of the Detroit area’s freeways.
The water is going down, but possible structural damage is what officials are worried about.
Storms on August 11 dumped more than six inches of rain in southeast Michigan. Water on some of the highways got up to 14 feet dee[, about as high as some overpasses. State police divers were sent in to look for submerged cars or drivers.
Michigan officials are staying on top of the situation. Governor Rick Snyder assured Metro Detroiters the state is taking proactive approach by activating the state’s emergency operation center and sending in more state troopers.
Communities have also requested FEMA funds.
Wayne County remains under a local state of emergency.
