GRANITE CITY, Ill. — Flash flooding has turned roads into rivers Monday morning in Granite City, Illinois.
Several cars have become stuck on roads throughout the city. The area of 20th Street near Omaha was especially bad.
One driver was seen waiting on the top of his car. Sky5 flew over the scene, showing the floodwater was up to the door handles of the vehicle. The man told Granite City firefighters he wanted to stay with his car.
A short time later, a man was spotted pushing his motorcycle along a flooded road. The water was about waist-deep. He eventually made his way to the man who was sitting on top of his taxi. The two talked for a short time before the motorcyclist kept on his way.
Several people were seen walking through the flooded streets. At one point, a woman was seen wading through floodwaters while holding a small child. They eventually made it to safety on their own.
Several other roads are flooded in the area. Vehicles were seen driving through flooded streets. Emergency officials warn drivers to not drive through flooded roadways.
Granite City police released the following statement on Facebook:
It goes without saying that most of our roads are flooded. Please don’t try to go out and drive until this water goes down. Our squad cars have the same issues in this weather as other cars. We cannot drive on roads that are flooded. Some roads are impassable and have cars stranded on them. Do not end up stranded! Also, many homes have water in them and when you drive through these neighborhoods, you push more water into homes. Be courteous!! We have our Humvee out and can get to you in the event of an emergency - if you need us but it is not an emergency, we will get to you when the roads are again passable.
Thank you.
The U.S. Steel plant in Granite City was temporarily closed to prevent any damage to the plant. A spokeswoman for U.S. Steel said no damage or injuries were reported at the plant and the closure was not expected to impact any customers.
The spokeswoman said they are monitoring conditions to determine when they will re-open.
RELATED: Live interactive radar
By 6:30 a.m., the Granite City Fire Department had received at least 30 calls for service related to the flash floods.
As of 6:45 a.m., the police department said there were no current road closures, but that is expected to change later Monday morning.
A flood warning was set to expire for Granite City and much of the KSDK viewing area in Illinois at around 4:10.
5 On Your Side weather app
iPhone | Google Play
5 On Your Side news app
iPhone | Google Play