LANSING, Mich. (WSYM) - You have to go back to 1975 for the last time Mid-Michigan saw flooding as bad as we're dealing with now.
April 18, 1975, is a day many people in Lansing remember as several feet of water overflowed rivers banks which damaged many homes and businesses.
Taking a look at the Hazel and Beech street intersection is Lansing Friday is almost a mirror image of a 1975 picture taken of flooding.
The sights and the sounds of this year’s flood is bringing back old memories for Tom and Brenda Kyriakou.
“They were telling people to stay out of the area because of possible contamination,” said Brenda.
Tom worked at the Williams Brothers Carpet location on Charles Street in 1975, he helped save what he could.
“We had three feet of water in the warehouse,” Tom said. “We canoed in there, we were able to get up to Kalamazoo Street and we’d canoe down Charles Street.”
Pictures of historic flooding in Lansing are kept at the Michigan History Center, some dating back to as far as 1904.
The flood of 1975 had a much bigger impact when comparing it today.
“Gerald Ford was president then and he did declare a national emergency,” said Sandra Sageser Clark, director at the Michigan History Center. “When that happens you know a great deal has been done not to things just getting wet, but people’s homes and businesses.”
What's different about this year’s flood, the time.
“Our floods tend to come in April and here we are in February,” said Sageser Clark. “So here is something else that is rather unexpected.”
With the past behind them, the Kyriakou family now take flood waters seriously.
"You check your water, you check your sewers,” Brenda said. “We've been checking ours all week.”
If you'd like to check out old pictures for yourself at the archives, you can do so during their normal hours.
The archive hours are Monday-Friday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you've been affected by flood waters, admission to the museum is free.
The museum is open Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 4:30 a.m, Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
