Overview:
-54-inch water main rupture in Southwest Detroit has displaced families and caused significant damage.
-Residents must sign a liability waiver to receive repairs, though it does not absolve the city of flood liability.
-'We are going to attempt to do it with the kind of care you would expect if it were your own home,' Mayor Mike Duggan says of repairs.
When Planet Detroit spoke with Manuel Nolasco last week, he was attempting to start his truck that had been damaged in the icy flood after a 54-inch water main rupture flooded streets and several hundred homes in Southwest Detroit, displacing families and causing significant damage.
This week, we spoke with his son, Elvin, who said the truck was saved, but others were not so lucky. Nolasco is staying at his parents’ home on Green Street with his brother to keep an eye on things while their parents are at a hotel.
The temperature in the house is not too cold, he said, thanks to space heaters. Since their water heater is broken, Elvin and his brother either shower at the hotel or use a small water heater to shower at home. Nolasco said his parents are doing okay, but with the hope the city will fix the damage.
“To be honest, staying at a hotel is not the same as staying at your house. It’s sad,” he said in Spanish.
He recounted the numerous items that were damaged in the flood: the heater, boiler, hot water heater, washer and dryer, a bed, many clothes, and tools, among other items. The inspectors will visit this week to do repairs, he said.
“We already cleaned, but they said to not touch or fix anything. They said they were going to come, I hope they come,” Nolasco said.
One of Nolasco’s neighbors said she got sick after walking through the frigid water Feb. 17 causing aches and pains in her legs.
“It’s very difficult. We don’t tell anyone because it’s something that surprised us,” Nolasco said.
He said many of his neighbors are also waiting it out in a hotel.
Home repairs could take 6 weeks at minimum
The city will need “a minimum [of] six weeks” to complete repairs as the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department begins to inspect homes and understand the level of damage, Gary Brown, the department’s director, said at Tuesday press conference.
Detroit General Services Department Director Crystal Perkins said the six-week timeframe outlined by Brown for all residents who were impacted to return to their homes would be “ideal.”
Perkins said the timing of repairs depends on basement conditions. The time required to restore homes to normal “will vary per case by case basis,” she said.
Nearly 400 homes are within the impacted area, and so far officials say about 200 need to be restored. Perkins said her team has cleared debris from 27 basements out of around 200 households, with the cleanup process taking about an hour-and-a-half for each basement. The city is working around residents’ schedules, she said, and working out the details to help those without home or car insurance coverage for water damage.
Some residents expressed confusion about a liability waiver the city asked them to sign in order to receive repairs from city contractors. The city clarified the waiver after being questioned by the Detroit Free Press. Residents are not waiving liability for the flood, but for any potential issues that may arise while city contractors are performing repairs in homes, the city said.
“We’re going to cover everything that’s related to the flood, but we still need a liability waiver, and that’s just required by law,” Perkins said.
When the residents signed, they were not signing away their rights for claims, Perkins said.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said there’s a six-step process to get families back into their homes: inspection, basement debris removal, sanitize and clean, replace furnaces and hot water heaters, bring families through for a final inspection, and move them from the hotel back into the house.
“We’re gonna have to do that 200 times, and we are going to attempt to do it with the kind of care you would expect if it were your own home,” Duggan said at the Tuesday press conference.
As of Monday, nearly all inspections were completed, Duggan said. By Thursday, the city expects contractors to have begun the process of replacing furnaces and hot water heaters in homes.
“Some folks will have furnaces in this week. Some folks are not going to have furnaces until four or five weeks from now,” the mayor said.
Once residents are back in their homes, Duggan said the city will begin the process of reimbursement of claims for damaged property.
“Leaving the federal government out and doing this ourselves is going to cut months off the response, but it will not be fast enough for somebody who is not in their home,” Duggan said.
Debris from flooded basements line the streets in the area of the Southwest Detroit water main break. Photo by Isabelle Tavares.
Flooded families face long recovery
At 3 a.m.on Monday, Feb. 17, Ruby Garcia looked out of the window of her Army Street home and saw water flooded halfway up the tires of her daughter’s car. She said she strapped black plastic bags to her legs and waded through her flooded basement to assess the damage.
She said “basically everything” was damaged in her basement: washer, dryer, furnace, hot water tank — and personal items like holiday decorations and her daughter’s childhood drawings.
“She loved collecting comic books, she likes to draw, and she had a whole bunch of notebooks with her drawings and little stories,” Garcia said. “As long as nothing happened to us, that’s what matters.”
Garcia’s home has been inspected, and crews have removed debris from her basement and sanitized it. Although she heard on the news that repairs would begin on Monday, she said she has not received any personal communication from the city. The next step is to replace her furnace and hot water heater.
“I could have gone to the hotel, but I wanted to get this over and done with,” Garcia said. “If we go to the hotel, then nothing’s going to be done.”
Pipe repairs underway
A 15-foot segment of replacement pipe was connected on Friday. A new entry point to access the pipe was scheduled for installation Wednesday.
Concrete support or encasement for the pipe is expected to be poured this week, and the repair and testing process to clear the main for service is expected to be finished by the end of next week, according to a Great Lakes Water Authority press release.
The pipe’s exterior is being reinforced with rebar, a steel rod used to reinforce concrete, in preparation for a concrete encasement. This encasement will provide support as the site is filled with dirt after the repair is complete, according to GLWA.
Before final repairs can be coordinated with DWSD and DTE Energy on those utilities’ two impacted mains, the concrete support will need time to cure and reach appropriate strength. GLWA said it will begin assisting DWSD with the cleaning of sewers in the impacted area to remove debris created by the break.
Daily necessities, Spanish-speaking volunteers needed
Deputy Mayor Melia Howard said there is a need for Spanish-speaking volunteers, and that donations of daily necessities are the most needed, including hygiene kits, feminine care products, diapers of all sizes, paper towels, new undergarments and socks in all sizes, gas cards, gift cards, and puppy pads.
The Patton Recreation Center, located at 2301 Woodmere St., is accepting donations and volunteers. LA SED Senior and Youth Center, located at 7150 Vernor Highway, is also accepting donations.
The Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation called for volunteers to pack and drop off donations, and uploaded a spreadsheet with needed items. Donations can be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Delray Community Center, 420 S. Leigh St.
The Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce requested Spanish-speaking volunteers to assist with translation services at the Patton center. Volunteers were asked to complete a form and could offer their services at any time.
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