QUINCY TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Officials in Branch County are calling it a once-in-a-century storm.
Homes and yards were underwater in Quincy Township after the weekend brought more than seven inches of rain in some areas, overwhelming drain systems.
“We couldn’t do anything but sit there and watch it fill in the cars,” Tracie Johnson said.
The rain fell so quickly Sunday morning she didn’t have time to move her vehicles to higher ground.
Videos show water surging across Williams Drive, pouring into basements and taking chairs and yard decorations with it.
A car submerged under water on Williams Drive in Quincy Township, July 5, 2026. More than five inches of rain fell in parts of Branch County. (Tyler Burns/WWMT)
Now, she’s faced with a flooded car that insurance won’t cover all because of an overflowing culvert next to her home.
Her neighbor saw her workout room filled with mud.
“We have a gym in the garage, and we’ve got, like, $40,000 worth of damaged equipment, two treadmills, StairMaster,” Valorie Johnson said.
With other homes in the neighborhood tearing out carpet and leaving indoor items out to dry, they tell us they’re wondering why the county drain system couldn’t handle it.
Johnson says the county drain commission did come out to unplug the culvert Sunday.
But the flooding happened all over again when another round of rain hit that evening.
“Figure out how to stop it,” Valorie said when asked what she would like to see the county do. “I’ve been here 35 years and we’ve never had this issue.”
News Channel 3 took their concerns to Drain Commissioner Michael Hard, who is in charge of more than 400 county drains, including the one under Williams Road.
As the water recedes, he says crews are now finding out which spots are plugged by debris like downed tree limbs.
Some repairs can be done in a few days, while others he expects to take months.
“When you look at a storm event this size, they weren’t designed to handle that size of an event,” he said, referring to local drains.
A flooded yard in Quincy Township. Residents say they haven’t seen this amount of rain in decades. (Holly Diamond/WWMT)
Hard explains many Branch County tile mains, or underground water pipes, were built in the early 20th century.
According to him, replacing them with ones that can handle a storm like this would be charged to taxpayers, as drain infrastructure is not covered by state or federal funds.
“The amount of money involved would be more than the local property owners could withstand,” he said.
With more rain expected later this week, Williams Road residents are worried they may have to dry out yet again.
“Whatever’s going on is new and that they should be able to locate the problem and fix it,” Valorie said.
Some neighbors are considering filing for compensation with the government.
Michigan law allows homeowners to collect damages if they can prove drain authorities knew or should have known about an issue.