Water gathers outside of Old Horticulture on Thursday after the heavy rain that flooded much of East Lansing.
What might have resulted in a field day for the ducks along the Red Cedar River turned out to be more of an inconvenience to many students and area businesses after heavy thunderstorms swept through the area Thursday.
About one to two inches of rain fell during the afternoon hours, prompting a flood advisory across much of mid-Michigan, including Ingham county, said Brandon Hoving, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids.
“The bulk of that has fallen in the (afternoon),” he said Thursday.
“We had some this morning that accumulated in the Lansing area, but the storms this afternoon put down much more than that.”
During the torrential rains, students dodged flooded sidewalks and waited inside buildings until the storms passed.
Some students even considered not attending class because of the weather, but available modes of transportation made for dry travels to class.
“It’s wet and gloomy so that alone makes it hard to get up and get to class,” said Kendra Fuller, an
accounting sophomore.
“I usually take the bus because you can’t really bike, and there’s really no point in walking in this weather.”
When a heavy rain event occurs and affects campus, university officials keep a keen eye on roadways and sidewalks so major disruptions are avoided, said Gerry Dobbs, MSU Landscape Services ground maintenance manager.
“We work with building custodians to make sure water does not enter buildings (and) when the sidewalks are flooded, we might put up a barricade to make sure people do not try to walk across those areas,” he said.
“We’re (also) monitoring the (sewer) drains to make sure they’re open — that’s the biggest headache.”
Some buildings on campus experienced standing water on the lower levels.
Urban Outfitters, 119 E. Grand River Ave., closed for about an hour-and-a-half after employees noticed water collecting at the lower level men’s section of the store, said David Gorney, merchandising team leader at Urban Outfitters.
The lower level remained closed during the evening and the entire store will open again Friday, he said.
Although a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for the east side of the state, none of Thursday’s storms were reported as severe in Michigan.
The rest of the week looks dry with a slight chance of showers on Saturday, Hoving said.
Staff writer Karen Confer contributed to this report.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
