Flooding in Detroit area? (Warren, Royal Oak: house, contractors, tile)

[AlexandraDKat]

Originally Posted by Slappy san

This is not the norm. We're talking about crazy rain systems rolling in.

I agree. What I really meant to ask is: under normal rainfall conditions, is there basement flooding?

[313Weather]

Originally Posted by AlexandraDKat

I agree. What I really meant to ask is: under normal rainfall conditions, is there basement flooding?

No.

[Slappy san]

Basements are great. You can use it for storage, a washroom, furnace/hot water heater, and finish it off as well. A basement could be salvation during the summers because it was always cool as well. One things I didn't love about Texas was that basements didn't seem to be the norm.

[zthatzmanz28]

When I was a kid (think 1960s) we used to love it when the county ditch would over flow and cover the 10 acres behind where Red Lobster / U-Haul on Telegraph is now. We would get our plastic swimming pools out and use them for boats.
In later years when the subdivision streets would flood, I would run around them with the 4X4. The water was only 2 or 3 feet at the most.

The best flooding used to be just north of Van Born around Hanover Street.

[us66]

Originally Posted by AlexandraDKat

I agree. What I really meant to ask is: under normal rainfall conditions, is there basement flooding?

Some houses will flood if there's something wrong with a basement wall, if the driveway or grass slopes towards the house, or if something is wrong with tree roots and the pipes underneath.

[AlexandraDKat]

Did these areas get any flooding: Royal Oak, Ferndale, Berkley, Clawson, Warren, Birmingham

[us66]

There's occasional sewer backups, but not actual flooding like where you'd be on your rooftop trying to attract a passing helicopter. Warren in particular back in the 50s and 60s had basement flooding nearly every year as about 2/3 of that city was built in 15 years' time and sewers could not handle it. The last big flood like that in my grandparents' basement (foot or two of water) in the Warren Village area was back in '81 or so so they must have made sewer improvements.

[Remisc]

I had about 5 to 7 inches of standing water in low spots all around my backyard here in the city. This is pretty unusual, from what I've heard.

[Retroit]

Most of the flooding shown on the news was due to:

• Expressway underpasses flooding due to the pumps being unable to keep up with the heavy rains. This is common during heavy rains, although it seems to be kind of random as to what underpasses flood, or
• Residential streets flooding because no one is cleaning out the leaves and branches from the storm drains in the street so the street overflows onto properties, or
• Low lying areas near lakes, rivers and streams. This can be quit common depending on the body of water and elevation of the house. I know people that live on a lake in Oakland county and whenever the wind blows strong in a certain direction, the water builds up and floods their basement.

[DTWflyer]

Originally Posted by AlexandraDKat

Did these areas get any flooding: Royal Oak, Ferndale, Berkley, Clawson, Warren, Birmingham

As said, this has been a very abnormal spring. It is one of the wettest on record, in fact now the 2nd spring on record. We've had over 16 inches of rain since April 1st compared to a normal of about 8 inches.

The ground is completely saturated, but we had about 7 straight days of heavy downpours, and storms. That is what led to the urban flooding last week. The ground couldn't take any more, the local streams were out of their banks, and sewer systems in some older communities couldn't handle it.

As said, the flooding was sporadic and due to a few things. Its not like the massive river flooding that you see in the Midwest. Freedway underpasses and some streets were flooded because drains and pumps were clogged with debris. Some local roads were closed were a stream was overflowing its banks.

For the most part, most rivers and streams with natural floodplains flow through parks and golf courses like the Huron, Clinton, and Rouge.

For the cities you mention, yes there was flooding in some places. Royal Oak & Berkley are known to occasionally get some basement flooding. It is very property-specific. Some areas just do not drain well, combined with older homes, and an older sewer system, some got some flooding. Royal Oak & Berkley used to be a swamp back in the early 1900s. Again, it depends on how well the property drains. I have many friends with very nice finished basements in Royal Oak & Berkley who have never had a problem.

Clawson & Birmingham generally don't have problems since they sit a little bit higher and don't have the swampy water-table ground water issue so much. That is unless, you live along the Rouge River in Birmingham.

Again, this has been a very wet spring. Some flooding happens every few years but its not really an epidemic. Actually I think its gotten better than it used to be since they've made a lot of improvements to the drainage systems and they've seperated sanitary & storm sewers in many communities.