Photos: Flooding Hits Berkley, Huntington Woods

Torrential rain swamped roads in Berkley and Huntington Woods on Wednesday as the area remained under a flood warning.

"Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other drainage areas and low-lying spots," said the National Weather Service warning, which remains in effect until 11:30 p.m. Thursday. "Do not underestimate the power of floodwaters. Only a few inches of rapidly flowing water can quickly carry away your vehicle."

While Jeff Feinstein of Oak Park wasn't carried away Wednesday, his car did stall out after he attempted to drive through a flooded Huntington Woods street on his way to the .

Feinstein found himself stranded in the spontaneous pond for more than an hour while crew leader Marty Wozniak worked to clear nearby storm drains.

"Too much rain came down," a good-humored Wozniak said as he dragged a metal rake over one of the drains, which made a loud, continuous sucking noise.

He explained that the state requires restricting lids over drains in certain areas of the city so residents' basements won't flood. One of those areas is Borgman between Berkley and Scotia, where Feinstein's car stalled out.

Neighbor Carrie Callahan was unfazed by the flood in front of her house, driving her SUV through the water and up onto the lawn as she returned home.

"Four-wheel drive helps," she quipped.

"Whenever we get a significant amount of rain, it floods," Callahan said. "But, the Huntington Woods (Public Works Department) is pretty good about getting it cleared out."

She said drivers often suffer a fate similar to Feinstein's on her street, which cuts through the neighborhood from Coolidge Highway to Woodward Avenue.

"We have flooding and we have speeders," on our street, Callahan said. "There's no way you can tell (when the street's flooded), so people who use it to cut through and aren't familiar get stuck."

The scene was similar on Princeton in Berkley, where storm water had consumed the entire roadway.

"If it looks like it's going from sidewalk to sidewalk, I wouldn't go through it,"   officer Lou Tanghe said Wednesday. "If you have to, go slow."

The American Red Cross offers additional flood safety tips on its website:

• Stay away from floodwaters. If you come upon a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way. Six inches of swiftly moving water can sweep you off of your feet.
• If you come upon a flooded road while driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
• Keep children out of the water. They are curious and often lack judgment about running water or contaminated water.
• Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood danger.
• Because standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flooding, it’s important to have protection from the floods associated with hurricanes, tropical storms, heavy rains and other conditions that impact the U.S. For more information on flood insurance, please visit the National Flood Insurance ProgramWeb site at www.FloodSmart.gov.

If you have an incredible flood photo to share, email it to Leslie.Ellis@patch.com and we'll add it to the gallery. Please include your name and where you took the photo.