Michigan is seeing crazy amounts of flooding this week — and some people are taking advantage of the record-breaking river levels.
Joe Matulis, who works at Matuli Paddle Surf in East Lansing, Mich., posted pictures this week of himself and friends catching a wave on the Red Cedar River, which runs through the Michigan State University campus.
His blog said he met some "rad" students who were already taking advantage of the high water levels when he got there. It wasn't the easiest, since the section of the river has lots of submerged rocks. But the surfers got a lot of double-takes from runners near the river and it was a gnarly ride, nonetheless.
"You cannot surf in East Lansing very often, so it was really fun taking advantage of the flood," he told Business Insider in an email.
"When you get a good ride everyone cheers. I can not wait for the wave to work an a football Saturday."
In Grand Rapids, Mich., a man also was caught surfing the Grand River, according to MLive.com. Police forced him to leave, since the river is reaching dangerous levels.
Although the surfing stories are a fun twist on the flooding, many rivers across the Midwest are reaching record-breaking flood levels because of intensely heavy rains all week.
The Grand River is expected to peak above its highest level by Saturday, and the Saginaw and Tittabawassee rivers are much higher than usual as well. Residents in low-lying areas next to rivers in West and central Michigan have been evacuated, with some homes already suffering significant damage.
(As I'm writing, an eerie photo of a flooded statue in my hometown of Midland, Mich., is the top post on Reddit.)
Across Lake Michigan, Indiana and Illinois are experiencing significant flooding as well. A state of emergency was declared in Chicago on Thursday due to the heavy rains and the original McDonald's might be underwater.
The Mississippi River is expected to hit above flood stage as well.
Here's a few more photos of the flooding in the Midwest:
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