The Flood is Winding Down ~ 4/24/13

Rivers are slowly receding and roads such as these in Ada
(from yesterday) are now clear.

Downtown hotels continue pumping their basements and Plaza Towers is still evacuated,  deliberately retaining some water in their lower level to maintain pressure against the Grand River.

Only the ducks are unconcerned.

The River Has Crested - 4/22/13

Today's visit downtown was with my work mates, one with a borrowed camera from me. Naturally, that resulted in me appearing in a few photos :-)

 The good news is that the water is receding but it has a long way to go. 

Here you can see the high water mark at the Ford Museum.

River front hotels are still pumping,

  and Grand Rapids is still gawking at the dramatic views.

News people are running stories on water quality,

 aquarium quality windows are holding (pics by Mary Alice Walker),

 men at work are checking the bridges and flood walls,

no one in Grand Rapids follows instructions,

 and we're all watching...(sandbags & water almost meet).

Fourth Day of Grand Rapids Flooding Photos - 4/20/13

Watching Mayor Heartwell's press conference today, I learned that Riverside Park was closed to everyone - oops! He had driven by in the morning and saw people walking around it. Yeah, me too :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The river is still rising with another foot predicted. The flood walls downtown are holding but sandbags are appearing just in case. Plaza Tower has been evacuated because of a power outage due to water in the basement. JW and Amway are pumping water and fish from their basements. The water is up to the windows in this building - what will another foot do?

Up river the Grand River & the Thornapple are flooding Ada and Lowell and roads are closed. These two photos are from Ada today. Lowell has asked people to stay away...