Parts of Frenchtown Twp under water after heavy rain

FRENCHTOWN TWP., Mich. (WJBK) - Parts of Stony Point peninsula in Frenchtown Township can only be accessed with a canoe. 

Dwayne Jones is counting his blessings. As bad as the weekend storm was, it could have been worse.

"We are about 10, 12 feet up and the (Lake Erie) waves were coming over the wall," said Jones. "Hitting the gazebo, hitting the roof of the house. (There was) all kinds of debris up. You see the rocks on the deck. We were lucky there weren't any broken windows."

Now Jones and his neighbors in Stoney Point peninsula are beginning to dry out.

"I got in the car and it got up to the molding," said another resident. "The basement took the worst of it. I probably have four and a half inches down there. We just have pumps running it out to the park."

About 2,000 people live in Stony Point, Bill Gross is one of the lifers.

"It's a beautiful place," he said. "Every 20 years you get this."

The Township advised some residents to leave their homes last weekend, but many sheltered in place as the floodwaters rose, surrounding and ultimately finding their way into homes.

FOX 2: "How many homes were impacted?" 

"I can't tell you," said Fire Chief Wendy Stevens, Frenchtown Township. "A couple of hundred at least, maybe more. Once we get out and get around we can figure (it) out. This whole area is large and everyone was affected differently. If you weren't affected because your home was accessible, then your basement was hit."

Stevens says local officials are working around the clock to get the water -- back into the water.

"The county's been working really hard, the drain commission has been working really hard, township has been working really hard to get the water off," she said. "There's three large pumps running to try to get the water back in the lake, so these people can access their homes."

Township officials are working on the seawall to keep water out during the next big storm.