[Update] — 25 vehicles damaged by flooding at Jeep plant

A shipping yard near the the Stellantis Jeep factory in Detroit was flooded this weekend after severe weather buffeted the region. Photos and video show dozens of vehicles underwater that appear to be Jeep Grand Cherokees.

A Stellantis spokeswoman confirmed that vehicles were submerged, and water had entered the plant. Jeep's statement:

The Detroit Free Press confirmed the situation at the holding yard. A spokesperson told the newspaper that many other models, including the Dodge Charger, Challenger, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee L, trucks and minivans are all held at the yard, an assembly point for vehicles to be loaded for shipment. Reporter Phoebe Wall Howard tweeted this photo:

Jefferson North is a 3-million-square-foot facility on 283 acres. It was recently retooled and modernized to build the next-generation Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee, part of a $4.5 billion Stellantis investment in its Detroit-area factories.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared a state of emergency for metro Detroit's Wayne County after extensive rainfall has crippled the region and created widespread flooding. More than 6 inches of rain fell Friday in parts of the Detroit area, overloading sewer systems. Some streets were completely flooded, while low-lying sections of freeways saw water deep enough to cover car tires and hoods.

A viewer sent video to Detroit's WXYZ-TV:

Flooding in Wayne County has been so bad this weekend that some motorists facing impassable roads have simply abandoned their vehicles. WXYZ reported there were "hundreds of vehicles that need rescuing." State police were removing vehicles still stranded on freeways, while checking to make sure no one remained in partially submerged cars.

A number of pumps designed to remove water from area freeways also were overloaded by the heavy rain, said Diane Cross, a spokeswoman for Michigan’s Department of Transportation.

“There is no way to keep pumping out water when more water is coming in,” Cross said.

Freeway catch basins also get clogged by leaves, branches and other debris which contributes to flooding. They have to be cleared out manually, she added.