Recovery efforts in Southwest Detroit neighborhood nearly complete after water main break
In February, a neighborhood in Southwest Detroit was underwater. Hundreds of homes were severely flooded and damaged after a
water main broke overnight
.
City officials say the 54-inch water main break has been fully repaired, and the intersection near Rowan and Beard streets is back open, and recovery efforts are right on track.
"We are beyond the 90% completion rate," said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.
The city says that nearly 125 furnaces and 126 hot water tanks have been replaced, with only a handful still to be finished. They expect those repairs to be done next week.
Of the more than 200 families that were in hotels, only 15 remain displaced.
"Stopping completion is exactly what we predicted. There are a handful of houses that had circumstances that needed a lot more work," Duggan stated.
Of the 400 homes damaged, 378 filed claims, which the city expects to have processed in the next six weeks.
"You have until Tuesday, 45 days by law after an incident occurs, to file a claim," said Duggan.
"We're going to be able to provide a one-year warranty on all of the work that we did and also on the appliances, internal plumbing and electrical work of the houses that we worked on," Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Director Gary Brown stated.
Though a stressful situation for many, city officials say they're appreciative of community advocates who stepped up to help.
"I think this whole situation showed the city that when a time is needed, we can all work together," said Detroiter's Helping Each Other president Jessica Ramirez.
"We're already back in our houses, my furnace has been replaced, my hot water tank has been replaced, they've cleaned and sterilized my basement. At this point, most of us are whole again in our homes," said resident Deanna Dooley.
"The city has definitely done everything they gotta do. Our furnace is done; our hot water tank is done. We still have a little bit of work that we need done, but we're rolling with the punches," resident Jerry Reynolds stated.
Residents who have yet to
file a claim
have until April 3.
The city also says the emergency line put in place for repairs will be discontinued by Sunday. If you need to get in touch with the city after that, you can contact DWSD directly.
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Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
What Mayor Mike Duggan would change in southwest Detroit water main break response
There are some things Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and his fellow officials might do differently if another water main broke and flooded a city neighborhood as badly as one did in February. But with the expectation that the necessary work to get people back in their homes will be done next week and the promise that officials will cover all uninsured damages, city leaders on Thursday celebrated ahead of the looming six-week mark since the Feb. 17 break in southwest Detroit. Duggan, who is now seeking the governor's seat, said he didn't think it was the wisest political maneuver when shortly after the water main break the director of the city water department announced hopes to have everyone back in their homes within six weeks. But five and a half weeks later, Director Gary Brown has largely met that goal with the help of nearly a dozen community groups, Duggan said at a news conference at Rowan and Green streets near the site of the break. 'It's been really an extraordinary experience,' Duggan said of that joint effort. As of Thursday, 15 families remained in city-covered hotel rooms, the mayor said. That's down from a height of 206 households. The remaining homes without the basics like furnaces for residents to return are facing other issues like a need to address sewer lines and asbestos abatement, Duggan said. The city also already started issuing checks for damage and loss claims from residents, the mayor revealed. Residents are being asked to file claims by an April 3 deadline at There were 400 homes in the area and 378 claims have been field so far, Duggan said. Of those, 12 have gotten their checks. If there's one thing Duggan would have done faster, he said it would be connecting with some 12 community organizations that made the turnaround time possible. Those include Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development, or LA SED, and the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation. But now Duggan has their contact information, said Jessica Ramirez of community group Detroiters Helping Each Other. 'When you need it, you reach out and I'll use my big mouth and I'll round up all the other groups,' she said. Ramirez called for a better emergency response plan involving the community groups and their trusted translators. Language barriers with the Spanish-speaking community was an issue, she said. Another challenge in the aftermath included the high anxiety in the immigrant community, Duggan said. Some groups got on TV to report issues with the city response that needed to be fixed, Duggan said. 'They were right. … They weren't doing it because they were trying to hurt, they were doing it because they were trying to help,' he said. Another thing that might look different should this happen again: how quickly both the city and its partner in water administration, the Great Lakes Water Authority, respond. The authority was not contacted until several hours after the break, according to the timeline offered by officials previously. While Duggan said that when he first started his tenure, the water department didn't have 24-hour responses, he also noted the break was not originally believed to be in an authority-maintained line, but a city one. Duggan, while still lauding the emergency response, said he believes that next time that much water is flowing in city streets, officials will know to get both the city and Great Lakes Water Authority out to the scene right away. Duggan also gave his reasoning for why the city was so quick, along with Great Lakes Water Authority, to offer to cover uninsured losses from the flooding. Simply put, there would have been class-action lawsuits, and the two entities would have spent years pointing fingers at each other at who was to blame, he said. 'It wouldn't have done these neighbors any good,' he said. Two lawyers and the city have noted how often governmental immunity protects municipalities and utility groups from liability in these instances. Brown and Duggan said the coverage was the right thing to do. They are also going further than the immediate repairs. On Thursday, Brown said one-year warranties will be offered for the work done and appliances placed. At least one check was already in the mail for Deanna Dooley, a resident who spoke at the news conference alongside the mayor. Some work remained, like to address damage to her porch, but her furnace and water tank have been replaced and more work was taking place Thursday, she said. She also said, to laughs, that the incident helped clear out 20 years of stuff in her basement. 'We do again have our lives back to almost normal,' she said. Not quite back to normal was Tammy Brock, whose voice could be heard over the speakers at the news conference for a brief while. Brock's business, a food truck called Tammy's Patties, was filled with ice and water during the flood. More: Mayor Mike Duggan drew Dan Gilbert, roaring audience for his final State of the City speech She was looking for scrap metal to sell to help tide her over on bills before she came across the news conference, she said. She'd hoped to speak with the mayor after speaking to him in recent weeks. She hasn't been able to work since the water main break and hasn't been able to find another job since then to pay her bills either, she said. She thinks the city response to the flood has been 'good,' she said. Her furnace and water tank have been replaced. But there's still repairs needed in her home and officials offered her a settlement for her food truck that wouldn't nearly cover that loss, she said. Dominique Pantoja, a project manager for DWSD, was asking for photos of the damage and promising to look into the concerns before a Free Press reporter walked up. A spokesman confirmed the settlement matter was under review. He also confirmed that resident claims of lost wages would be reviewed for reimbursement. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What Mike Duggan would change in SW Detroit water main break response
CBS News
27-03-2025
- CBS News
Recovery efforts in Southwest Detroit neighborhood nearly complete after water main break
In February, a neighborhood in Southwest Detroit was underwater. Hundreds of homes were severely flooded and damaged after a water main broke overnight . City officials say the 54-inch water main break has been fully repaired, and the intersection near Rowan and Beard streets is back open, and recovery efforts are right on track. "We are beyond the 90% completion rate," said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. The city says that nearly 125 furnaces and 126 hot water tanks have been replaced, with only a handful still to be finished. They expect those repairs to be done next week. Of the more than 200 families that were in hotels, only 15 remain displaced. "Stopping completion is exactly what we predicted. There are a handful of houses that had circumstances that needed a lot more work," Duggan stated. Of the 400 homes damaged, 378 filed claims, which the city expects to have processed in the next six weeks. "You have until Tuesday, 45 days by law after an incident occurs, to file a claim," said Duggan. "We're going to be able to provide a one-year warranty on all of the work that we did and also on the appliances, internal plumbing and electrical work of the houses that we worked on," Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Director Gary Brown stated. Though a stressful situation for many, city officials say they're appreciative of community advocates who stepped up to help. "I think this whole situation showed the city that when a time is needed, we can all work together," said Detroiter's Helping Each Other president Jessica Ramirez. "We're already back in our houses, my furnace has been replaced, my hot water tank has been replaced, they've cleaned and sterilized my basement. At this point, most of us are whole again in our homes," said resident Deanna Dooley. "The city has definitely done everything they gotta do. Our furnace is done; our hot water tank is done. We still have a little bit of work that we need done, but we're rolling with the punches," resident Jerry Reynolds stated. Residents who have yet to file a claim have until April 3. The city also says the emergency line put in place for repairs will be discontinued by Sunday. If you need to get in touch with the city after that, you can contact DWSD directly.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
SW Detroit residents must report water main break flood damage by April 3, officials say
Residents whose homes, cars or possessions were damaged in the Feb. 17 water main break in southwest Detroit are being asked to act swiftly if they want the city and utility agencies to reimburse any of their losses. Officials are calling for affected residents to file notices of claims by April 3 with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. The 54-inch water transmission main break flooded basements, left cars trapped in frozen waves of ice, covered belongings in mud, and caused evacuations by rafts in the area of Beard and Rowan streets in a part of the city with just under 400 homes. The city and its partner in water administration, the Great Lakes Water Authority, have since pledged to cover all damages not covered by insurance. City-sent crews have been cleaning the affected basements, with some spaces reported to be people's full living areas. Crews also have been replacing furnaces and hot water heaters so that residents can return home. More: Detroit asking water main flood victims to sign a waiver. We had 2 lawyers take a look. More: Detroit water main break: The most-needed items you can donate to help flood victims As of Sunday night, 16 households were still in city-covered hotels, said Bryan Peckinpaugh, public affairs director for the water department. That's down from a height of 206 households in the aftermath. Officials chose the claims deadline by looking at a Michigan law for sewage backups and overflows, Peckinpaugh said. The Feb. 17 flooding was not sewage, per officials, but the law being used as guidance requires residents to make claims in writing within 45 days of when damage should have been discovered after a sewer backup or overflow. April 3 is 45 days after the water main break. Residents can file a notice of claim on the city's water department webpage at to meet the April 3 deadline. All damages and losses can be included in a singular claim. 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Officials have been knocking on doors, going to hotels and working with translators to pass along information and tell residents about the notice of claim deadline, Peckinpaugh said. They'll be at it again this weekend, though it's believed most notices of claims have already been filed. So far, 321 such claims have been filed by individual households, Peckinpaugh said. The cost for all the needs and fixes following the break will probably be around $8 million to $10 million, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Director Gary Brown previously said. Asked at news conferences about everything from insurance deductibles to lost wages to cleaning supplies for those who did their own cleaning after the break, officials have told residents to include everything on their claim forms and said officials will work to make residents whole. Along with filing the notice of claim, Mayor Mike Duggan also previously said residents with insurance should be sure to contact their insurance company, too. Staff writer Nour Rahal contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Deadline nears to claim damage from southwest Detroit water main break
