KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. — The remnants of Hurricane Beryl worked their way up the country and hit West Michigan Tuesday evening, causing some flooding and closed roads.
Much of West Michigan is under flood advisories carrying through Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service Grand Rapids issued a flood advisory for Calhoun, Eaton, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
The advisory for those counties lasts until 10 a.m. on Wednesday and advises of minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas as well as water over roadways, making some roads impassable.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office posted to Facebook that in the southern area of the county there was water 2-3 feet deep covering some roads. They warned specifically that people should avoid XY east of 14th, 18th near XY and also various roads east of Vicksburg.
As of Wednesday morning, two roads were completely closed due to standing water on the roads: E Crosstown Parkway between Mills Street and S Pitcher Street and Forrest Street between S Park and S Rose Street.
Eastbound Howard between Merrill and W Crosstown Parkway is also closed.
City of Kalamazoo Public Services Director and City Engineer James Baker told 13 ON YOUR SIDE Tuesday that the city was preparing for the rain by clearing out drains of debris and setting out cones and barricades in case roads need to be closed.
"Folks should be planning for some potential impact to the morning commute," he said. "We understand that there's a whole lot of construction in Kalamazoo right now, already impacting motorists, and then we add additional closures due to flooding, that can create a lot of challenges for again, that morning commute."
If you come across a flooded roadway, do not drive through the water. Just six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars causing loss of control and possible stalling. A foot of water will float many vehicles.
You can find tips on how to stay safe during and after a flood here.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.