Drowned vehicles, stuck workers: Jeep, Ford plants halted amid Detroit flooding

Massive rainstorm with as much as six inches of rainfall that recently hit the US cities of Detroit and Dearborn, has caused a lot of damage to the manufacturing plants of Jeep and Ford Motor. Videos and images doing round on social media show vehicles submerged in water at the shipping yard near the Jeep plant in Detroit.

The Detroit Jeep plant builds vehicles such as Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee SRT, Grand Cherokee L and the Dodge Durango. Videos show brand new vehicles submerged in water with only the rooflines visible. At least 25 vehicles were damaged due to flooding and the ongoing investigation could find more damaged vehicles, Detroit Free Press reported. The damaged vehicles could possibly be scrapped.

Due to extreme flooding and road closures, workers remained stuck and couldn't reach the plant forcing first shift production to be halted on June 25. The production resumed only late evening on June 26, Motor 1 reported. The vehicle assessments are still ongoing while the shipping yard has now been cleared of flood water.

Dearborn was another most affected city amid the flood, where the Ford plant is located. The plant produces F-150 and Bronco vehicles but the manufacturing had to be halted temporarily due to a leakage in the roof and the difficulty for workers to reach the plant, the report stated. The production for both the vehicles have now resumed and the lost time from the missed shift is already being made up.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer had declared a state of emergency for the Detroit area and Wayne County following the rainstorms. The rain led to floods and widespread power outages. Major roads and highways turned into rivers with water reaching roofs of some vehicles.