For the Berry family on Main Street, this past weekend’s heavy rain meant flooding ? Mill Pond is in their back yard.
‘There are ducks there, and my hammock and tree swing are flooded, and we have rapids in our backyard,? said homeowner Kim Berry.
‘Lots of water. It’s going slowly (through the grass),? said her son, Brandon, splashing in some of the floodwaters.
‘I told my husband that it was Clarkston’s ‘Hurricane Ichabod,? Ike’s uncle because it was slower and less powerful, like an old uncle,? Kim said.
Spotters reported 5.68 inches in the Clarkston area over the weekend, Friday night to late Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Oakland County was hit by the remnants of two storms, Tropical Storm Lowell from the Pacific and Hurricane Ike from the Atlantic.
The rain water flooded several areas, especially those filled in or paved over. Residential areas around Tammie Heazlit’s house in Independence Township used to be swamps, she said.
“Yesterday the flooding on my street, Cramlane at Snowapple, was remarkable, dramatic,” Heazlit said. “There is no place for the water to go. Everywhere I went yesterday, it’s not just a matter of getting a high amount of precipitation in a short period of time, there is no way to accomodate it.”
Slick roads and rain contributed to several traffic collisions over the weekend, most on Friday afternoon and evening, according to police reports.
Independence Township firefighters and Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies responded to at least 10 traffic collisions, Friday, with no serious injuries.
A car was hit by a large falling branch at Michigamme and Wah-Ta-Wah, about 10:45 a.m. Three cars stacked up on Ortonville Road at Cranberry at about 1:43 p.m. A car lost control at about 5:20 p.m., Ortonvile and Hubbard, hydroplaning into a utility pole.
“When it rains, slow down, leave more space between vehicles,” said Sgt. Paul Bidinger, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Independence Township Substation. “Don’t go too fast for conditions.”
Three more traffic collisions were reported Saturday and Sunday.
By Monday morning, Clarskton school buses faced some washed out roads, but flooding did not cause any major problems for students, said Anita Banach, director of communications and marketing.
AAA handled about 100 claims in the Clarkston area this past weekend due to weather, said Nancy Cain, AAA spokesperson.
“Car damage, parts of trees falling on houses, things like that,” Cain said. “It’s more than normal, but nothing really significant, although it’s significant to those involved.”
Weather is expected to be quieter this weekend ? National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies, high of 77 degrees.
Trevor Keiser contributed to this report.