Tuesday, March 10, 2009:
Despite the weather’s doom and gloom, inside I felt clear and bright because there were a couple dozen smiling, little faces in front of me. Today I went to the Light of the World Academy in Pinckney, Michigan.
While I drove, I took the good advice of my traffic reporters (Gail Anderson, Lauren Podell and Heather Zara); keeping both hands on the wheel, use patience and drive at or below the speed limit on the slick, wet highways and roads. Along the way, I drove through Hamburg and saw the swollen lakes (Buck, Oneida and Zuckey Lakes) and Huron River. I imagined how rough it must be for families and residents whose homes and businesses are flooded and hoped and prayed for the well-being.
After safely arriving at Light of the World, the teachers and students welcomed me with open arms. Their energy certainly got my talk off to a great start. Speaking with the 1st through 4th graders about tornado safety, hurricanes, how raindrops and snowflakes are made and more was thrilling. Before I left, we took this photo, and I will show it on TV this Saturday on Local 4 News Morning!
Andrew Humphrey, CBM
Meteorologist, Science & Technology Reporter and Weather Producer
WDIV-TV Detroit
Sunday, March 8, 2009:
Today we “spring forward” one hour. However, more rain is causing quality of life to fall backward because of more flooding. High water was all over the city. By the time I was presenting the weather on the air, my fellow anchor Karen Drew and reporter Marc Santia read and reported on flooding in Northwest Detroit, Southwest Detroit and East Side Detroit.
On the northwest side, a woman drove into this unmarked sinkhole on Ardmore Street. She was not injured, but was shaken and her son Derrell Loggins was legitimately disappointed that there were no cones, lights or warning signs because three other cars reportedly drove into the same hole Saturday. There was another sinkhole on Plumer Street in Southwest Detroit.
On the east side of the city, Marc spoke with distraught resident Janice Brown. She moved into her Fairview Street home just nine months ago. Today, she has “waterfront property” but not the kind she desired. Her street is flooded. Sadly, so are her lawn and basement, and many of her possessions are ruined.
Rivers, like the Rouge River and Clinton River, continue to rise. I alerted viewers to flood warnings on Local 4 News at 11. Stay tuned to Local4 and JustWeather.com for the latest forecast.
Andrew Humphrey, CBM
Meteorologist, Science & Technology Reporter and Weather Producer
WDIV-TV
Saturday, March 7, 2009:
What a dramatic morning! You did not want miss Local 4 News Morning. The show began with a water main break that completely flooded I-96 between Inkster Road and Beech Daly Drive. The 6 to 8-lane interstate was shut down!
Three cars were already submerged and Silva Harapetian alerted viewers to a giant sinkhole on the I-96 service drive that swallowed one vehicle (above, left). The stranded drivers had to stand on their car roofs and wait to be rescued from what was Lake I-96 (above, center). Then, shockingly and after the report of the I-96 closure, a new driver plowed in to the water while our WDIV camera was rolling (above, right)! Silva and her photographer showed all of it. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but at least a half-dozen people were soaked, shivering and inconvenienced.
Lauren Sanders, Gail Anderson and I gave our traveling viewers the best advice possible; avoid any high standing water when driving, plan alternate routes and bring your rain gear and umbrellas. Many listened to us. The Detroit Tigers began selling tickets from Comerica Park starting at 10am, and there was a collection umbrellas and ponchos of Tigers’ fans standing line, thinking of the boys of summer and dreaming of warmer, drier days. A couple without umbrellas used the tiger statue for cover.
More trouble was in my forecast in the form of rain. A daily record 1.06 inches of water fell from the sky!
The deluge drenched the roof of Cobo Center, where Autorama (an international showcase of customized cars and hot-rods) was in full swing. While I was preparing for Local 4 News at 6, rain water leaked onto many of the classic cars, their owners and visitors. Our reporter Natalie Sentz covered this story and we received tons of feedback from viewers and ClickOnDetroit visitors.
It’s not over. More rain is on the way for Sunday and Southeast Michigan rivers and tributaries are rising. I’ll share what happens on my next blog. Until then, stay dry!
Andrew Humphrey, CBM
Meteorologist, Science & Technology Reporter and Weather Producer
WDIV-TV
