(WWJ) -- It has been another frustrating, stressful drive to work this morning for thousands of metro Detroiters, as storms and freeway flooding continue to plague the region.
Pumping stations have been hit hard by power outages, affecting their ability to remove water from the freeways and resulting in road closures.
Michigan State Police First Lt. Mike Shaw spoke live with WWJ this morning, and warned drivers to avoid going into flooded areas.
“The lowest point in metro Detroit is the freeway system, so every bit of water that’s up in your neighborhood and is running to somewhere else is usually running to the freeway system,” Shaw explained. “So most of our troopers, if we’re handling calls for service, we won’t even travel on the freeways. We’ll stay up in the neighborhoods to get to where we’re trying to go.”
Shaw also says it seems as though drivers have not learned their lesson since massive flooding began hitting metro Detroit in late June.
State Police are currently recovering cars on I-696 near Mound Road in Warren as drivers continue to attempt plowing through standing waters at high speeds, eventually becoming stranded.
“We’re going to keep pushing that message of ‘Turn Around: Don’t Drown,’” Shaw said. “Don’t drive through standing water, that’s the first thing we really talk about.”
He added that troopers are also traveling with broom sticks to poke holes into storm drains in an attempt to unclog debris that may be causing a backup.
As far as drivers who attempt to flee flooded freeways by exiting on entrance ramps, Shaw says to wait for troopers to guide you before attempting anything that risky on your own.
"Sometimes we just gotta go back to the old common sense factor," Shaw told WWJ. "Does it make sense to drive up the wrong way on an entrance ramp? Probably not."
"If we do catch you doing that," he added, "you will definitely get a ticket."
Related
