KALAMAZOO, Mich. — At Vandersalm’s Flower Shop in Kalamazoo, they’re ready for the rain, and the pooling water that sometimes comes with it.
"This week, we saw there’s a lot of rain on the forecast... most of the week looks like rain every day. We don’t want to take chances," Greenhouse Manager Andrew Staufer said.
So, they put up their flood wall. Not something the average business has, but one they say is necessary.
Vandersalm’s is in a neighborhood that has experienced issues with flooding, especially during the rainy months. That is noted in Kalamazoo County’s hazard mitigation plan from 2023.
Watch Julie Dunmire's video story below:
The wall is water-tight, takes 10 minutes to install when a couple people work together on the project, and solves what they know to be a persistent problem.
"There was a big investment put in, many years ago to acquire this," Staufer said.
In 2017, they were using sand bags to stop the water from getting into their delivery dock. They're pleased with the prevention upgrade they got years ago.
"This wall is much more effective than sand bags, or any other equipment," Staufer said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
