DETROIT (WWJ) The City of Detroit has coordinated a massive response effort in the wake of a water main break that flooded a southwest neighborhood with up to four feet of icy water.
Mayor Mike Duggan told reporters of his early morning phone call from Gary Brown, CEO of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD).
“Where we are now is a far cry from where I thought we’d be," Duggan said during a 3:30 p.m press briefing. “When Brown woke me up...to tell me we were facing the worst water main break he’d ever seen. A 54-inch transmission line had broken, flooding a densely populated neighborhood….he called the Coast Guard in anticipation of rescue.”
Learn more about the water main break and the response efforts here
Duggan said workers came together from a variety of agencies: the Detroit Fire Department, The Detroit Police Department, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GWLA), and the Department of Neighborhoods. The Oakland County Sheriff, and response teams from Monroe and Macomb counties, also showed up. Even community volunteers pitched in.
As of about 3:30 p.m.; Duggan said 54 adults, 22 children and a dozen pets had been rescued. One person was taken to the hospital for a “breathing issue.”
The main break happened near Beard and Rowan Streets— in the area of Livernois between West Vernor and I-75— overnight. About 150 to 200 houses in a square mile radius were impacted.
Duggan said police and dispatch received calls of a loud bang, and water pouring out, around 2 a.m. By 4 a.m., officials determined the break occurred in a GWLA transmission line and notified them. GWLA found the leak within three hours, and turned the water off by 8:30 a.m.
Duggan said the water has “receded greatly” as of Monday afternoon.
“We are now moving into the mode of making sure that every single family, in every one of those homes is safe,” Duggan said.
The City has made arrangements with the Sonesta Simply Suites Extended Stay hotels for residents to live there for the time being.
“You can stay in that hotel until your water, your power, your heat are back on,” Duggan said. “And we will support you in that process.”
The Sonesta Simply Suites is pet friendly. However, if a resident has a dog too large to stay at the hotel, the Detroit Shelter agreed to house that dog until the resident can return to their home.
The City of Detroit also will provide food to displaced residents, Duggan said.
Residents who lost their cars in the flood will be provided with Uber service, thanks to the Detroit Health Department, to help them get to work until their vehicle is repaired.
Duggan said residents in the impacted area who need of any of those services should call: (313) 774-5261
Residents will forgo the FEMA process to seek compensations for the damage.
“This was a failure of the water main, and the DWSD and GLWA are going to repair the damage and pay for your loss as a result of this,” Duggan said. “…Your uninsured damage will be split 50/50 between GWLA and DWSD.”
Anyone who wants to make a claim should also call the above number.
Brown said DWSD employees will start going door to door as soon as tomorrow to determine if residents want to make a claim.
“Our main objective is to get in there, identify what needs to be done, in terms of repairing furnaces, making sure the hot water tanks are working and making sure the heat is on,” Brown said, adding only a few homes lost water as a result of the main break.
He said repairs will start "quickly."
City officials told reporters their prevailing memory of today is the helping hands: the firefighters carrying children on their shoulders, first responders and volunteers going door to door, agencies from across the region showing up at the scene.
“I’m expressing my deep gratitude to the hundreds of workers who responded heroically…" Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said. "It was a remarkable response."