KALAMAZOO, MI - Many businesses on downtown's south side were closed Tuesday due to flooding.

Several streets, including portions of Portage, Vine and Park streets as well as Crosstown Parkway, were closed to traffic by the city. Some morning commuters drove through standing waters only to stall and become stranded.

Kalamazoo and much of Southwest Michigan were under a flood warning, with heavy rain falling from late Monday through Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service said Kalamazoo had received over 3 inches of rain by 7 a.m., and it was still falling.

At VanderSalm's Flower Shop and Garden Center, at the corner of Crosstown and South Burdick Street, the basement flooded.

Owner John VanderSalm and his staff started working at 7:30 a.m. to pump water out of the basement and were still at it Tuesday afternoon. The basement holds the phone system, refrigeration equipment, merchandise and more.

The flower shop also had damage to two vans, but was still open for business. "We've been filling orders all day," said VanderSalm.

Other businesses in the area were not so lucky. Confections with Convictions, The Victorian Bakery and Nagle's Top Dog & Malt Shop were among businesses in the flooded area that were closed Tuesday.

In addition to major streets, many side streets in the area were closed as well due to standing water.

Deputy City Manager Jeff Chamberlain said Tuesday afternoon that there was no timetable for reopening streets. "It's completely up to mother nature," he said.

Heavy rain in that part of town, which includes Crosstown Ponds, floods Axtell Creek and Portage Creek and the city has to wait for the creeks to go down, he said.

Among segments of streets that were closed down are Crosstown between Park and Portage; Park between Crosstown and Vine; and Vine between Portage and Jasper.