Blog

Aug 23, 2023

Metro Detroit rains cut off DTW McNamara terminal, flood Canton

Overnight rain turned parts of Detroit Metro Airport into an island, flooding the tunnels that lead to and from the McNamara Terminal, which Delta uses as a hub. Flyers were stranded for hours, with

Overnight rain turned parts of Detroit Metro Airport into an island, flooding the tunnels that lead to and from the McNamara Terminal, which Delta uses as a hub. Flyers were stranded for hours, with long lines of cars waiting to get to the airport.

In addition, much of Canton was under water, along with parts of Van Buren Township, Plymouth and Novi.

By about 12:30 p.m., partial access to the terminal was restored, with access opened from Eureka Road by way of the south tunnel. At 3:20 p.m., the airport tweeted that full access had been restored. The rain water had receded significantly.

"We are working to address the issues from this flooding situation," Wayne County Airport Authority spokesman Randy Wimbley told the Free Press. "We will have another update as soon as we can get it out there regarding access to the McNamara Terminal."

Wimbley said the airport was trying to pump water out of the Dingell Drive tunnels, which were blocking access to the main terminal, as quickly as it could, and asked passengers for patience. After hours of waiting, some flyers said theirs was running out.

Weather:Thursday night forecast calls for more severe showers, flooding

Perhaps the biggest frustration for Metro Airport passengers was not knowing what was happening.

One passenger, Tracy Gregg, said before noon she was among thousands of people waiting to get to the terminal. Her Wednesday night flight was canceled, she said. She returned at 5:30 a.m., and then briefly left, and has been waiting in line to get to the terminal since 9 a.m.

"It's extremely stressful," she said. "We have no idea what we should do."

Delta told the Free Press it is processing cancellations and expect more, adding that customers are being automatically rebooked when a cancelation occurs to the next best itinerary that gets them to their final destination with the least amount of delay possible.

Inbound Detroit Metro flights were being held most of the morning, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flights. As of 1:20 p.m., departures were delayed on average by almost an hour. In addition, the site noted there were 45 delayed flights and 24 cancellations for flights departing between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

"We know this is an inconvenience to our customers," Delta said, adding its apologies "for the disruption."

Some who flew in to Metro Airport airport Thursday morning found a way to walk out. Frustrated, they said that there was little information about what to do from airline and airport officials. The vehicle traffic to the airport was backed up too.

About about 5½ inches of rain fell on metro Detroit, the National Weather Service said.

The Michigan Department of Transportation confirmed there is flooding in "a number of areas," but the worst, it said, is the Interstate 275 and Interstate 94 interchange. On top of that, many interchange ramps were closed.

News images of the freeways showed roadway flooding with cars and trucks getting stuck in deep water.

Canton public safety officials said officers were dispatched Thursday to help residents facing flooding because much of township was under water. One aerial photo posted to social media showed roadways at Ford and Canton Center covered with water.

Other areas where flooding has been reported:

Meteorologists said the water eventually should dissipate, but Thursday afternoon, more rain is expected.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or [email protected].

Free Press photographer Kimberly P. Mitchell contributed.