Michiana’s snow-melt and forecasted rain has homeowners bracing for potential flooding. It's also put street and sewer departments on high alert.

On Monday, Mishawaka and South Bend had multiple crews combing streets and clearing storm drains; a task they can't accomplish alone. After all, South Bend has around 27,000 grates, with the Princess City maintaining more than 10,000. The work is slow and tedious, but it ensures safety.

"If the grate is frozen and freezes over, water may back-up. We're concerned that water will cross halfway into the center lane and a car's going to hit it and cause an accident,” Tom Dolly with the Mishawaka Sewer Department said.

If you’re able-bodied and take pride in your neighborhood, city leaders ask that you grab a shovel and take the five minutes to help your local jurisdiction out.

"We’re really fortunate that we've got a real nice warming period before the rain comes. It's usually that one-two punch where we've got three or four inches of snow on the ground, then you get about a half-inch of rain or more right on top of it, and everything melts at once and it's a lot of water going into the system at one time,” Dolly concluded.