Kalamazoo officials have warned pedestrians and motorists in the city to avoid streets flooded by the record flooding of the Kalamazoo River. They should have mentioned kayakers and Jet Skiers.
Water enthusiasts are using their kayaks and personal watercraft to take advantage of the water, according to local news outlets and photos submitted to the Free Press.
Their playground may be depleting soon. Kalamazoo city officials said in a posting on the city's website Sunday afternoon that the river "has started to recede after reaching a historic crest of 11.69 feet this morning."
"It is now falling more quickly than expected and could fall below 10 feet by the end of the day."
Amber LePert, who lives in Parchment, posted a video showing two men on Jet Skis riding down a street. The video, posted Saturday afternoon, had been viewed 1.7 million times by 7 p.m. Sunday.
A submerged car can be seen from a Kalamazoo street that was affected by the flooding of the Kalamazoo River (Photo: Submitted to the Free Press)
"I never expected that," she said of the popularity of the video. "I just thought my friends would like it," LePert said Sunday night.
She and her husband were driving around Kalamazoo Saturday, looking for a way to get close to the flooding to snap a couple of pictures. Were they expecting to see people on their Jet Skis and kayaks?
"Oh my God, no," LePert said. But as they were getting close to Riverview, where much of the flooding happened, her husband spotted something whip by them.
"He was like, 'What was that?' "
Some water enthusiasts used their Jet Skis and kayaks Saturday to take advantage of the flooding that occurred in Kalamazoo. (Photo: Submitted to the Free Press)
One of the Jet Ski enthusiasts has since messaged her on Facebook, thanking her "for the viral video."
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