Berrien County neighbors deal with flooding after heavy storms Wednesday morning

 

ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Berrien County was pounded with rainfall early Wednesday morning, with over one and a half inches worth falling between 8 a.m. and noon.

Much of that rainwater collected in low areas, leaving them nearly underwater.

On Upton Drive, the road was covered by around six inches of water, making it difficult for some drivers to navigate.

Some drivers turned around, while others charged through; luckily no one was stranded.

However, some homeowners weren't so lucky.

"I believe was John Fogerty who asked, 'have you ever seen the rain?' Yes I did. It all came inside my house," said Brendan Bowser, a St. Joe Township neighbor who recently returned after living in California.

The heavy rain caught him off guard. The flooding in his basement was an even bigger surprise.

"Once you walk across the carpet you could tell, once you get the wet sock," he said. "And once it's up to your ankle, then you know you've got an issue."

Bowser immediately called Heaven Scent, a local carpet and upholstery cleaning service that also deals with flood damage.

Nicholas Polaskey, a second-generation employee at the company that just celebrated its 20th year in business, said they themselves have been swamped with phone calls.

"This is number six, and then we're going to head to seven and go back and drop some equipment at a couple that we had to get to the next one to minimize the damage."

Polaskey said that time is of the essence when dealing with flooding to prevent the buildup of mold and other damage to the home.

"Very quick, very prompt, very thankful they were able to get here," said Bowser.

Bowser said that now he's going to focus on making sure he doesn't get flooded again.

"After they take care of their job, it's my job to make sure my spouts are aimed properly and do what I can, but you can't control the weather," he said. "You just got to roll with it."

Not yet, anyway, I joked.

Bowser laughed. "Yeah, exactly."

Polaskey advised neighbors to install a sump pump to prevent any water buildup inside their home, and added to also get a battery backup, in case the power gets knocked out during a severe storm.