Nearly six weeks ago, residents near Beard Street and Rowan Street in Southwest Detroit had a rough start to the week. On an early Monday morning, they woke up to cold water flooding homes and streets in their neighborhood.
Since then, regional and city water authorities, along with community members, have come together to repair the destruction caused by a 54-inch water transmission main break.
Gary Brown, director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, said in February that he planned that all damages would be addressed within six weeks.
Five-and-a-half weeks later, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said at a press conference that the city is on track to meet that goal. According to Duggan, more than 90% of the damage has been addressed, thanks to the help of volunteers, local officials, and about a dozen community groups.
“We had, at one point, 260 families in hotels,” Duggan said. “We're now down to 15 families in hotels.”
During reconstruction efforts, the city has replaced water heaters, fixed sewer lines, and repaired drywall in homes. Brown confirmed that the break in the 93-year-old water main has been completely repaired.
Those who experienced damage related to the flood have 45 days after discovery to file a claim and receive compensation from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. The 45-day mark for Southwest Detroit residents affected by the main break falls on April 3.
“Now, remarkably, of the 400 houses, we already have 378 claims filed,” Duggan said. “And I'm pleased to say that in the first 378 claims, we've already followed up with 75 of the families getting documentation. And 12 have gotten their checks.”
Brown said the department aims to settle eligible claims filed by the deadline relatively quickly.
“We've gotten more than 75 claims completed this week. If we stay at that pace, it's a 45- to 60-day process,” Brown said. “As fast as we can get the documentation in that we need to verify the claims, we will get those claims settled in very quick order.”
Duggan spoke about the challenges facing the progress made by recovery efforts, including a language barrier for some residents and a sense of distrust.
“We had some trust issues at first. When this happened, it was a time of especially high anxiety in the immigrant community, and folks weren't exactly sure who was knocking on the door,” Duggan said. “The only way this response happened was because trusted groups intervened.”
Officals said those groups include the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, Detroit Southwest Pride, Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, and Detroiters Helping Each Other.
Brown spoke about how the response by the Great Lakes Water Authority and the City of Detroit allowed for an effective and swift response to the emergency.
“We got a deal struck day one and we were able to put contracts in place immediately to get this work done,” Brown said.
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and the Great Lakes Water Authority are splitting the cost of reconstruction projects. Brown said the decision to split the cost resulted from negotiations between the Great Lakes Water Authority and the mayor.
“Had we not done this, there would have been [a] guaranteed class-action suit,” Duggan said. “And we would have said GLWA has had responsibility for these pipes for 10 years, and it's their fault. And GLWA would have said the city built the pipes 93 years ago, and they own them and it is their fault.”
Duggan said negotiating a deal with GLWA to split costs was the fastest way to bring relief to impacted residents and “skip the years of litigation.” He said alternatives, like applying for aid at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, would have extended hardships.
“We could have tried a FEMA process — given what's going on in D.C., I don't know if FEMA is going to exist. People could have been stuck for months,” Duggan said. “So it was just the right thing to do.”
Duggan said that many pipes snaking underneath Southwest Detroit neighborhood streets are managed by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, but the Great Lakes Water Authority manages many large transmission pipes in the area.
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is allocating reconstruction funding that would have otherwise been used to hire employees, according to Brown. Brown said there are currently 67 vacancies in the department.
“We'll create several million dollars in savings by not filling those positions for the next three or four months, and that will help finance the DWSD's 50% portion of this expense,” Brown said.
The vacancies are expected to be filled after July 1, when the department’s budget resets for the year.
Southwest Detroit residents who have had property damaged due to the February 17 water break can file a claim to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department here by April 3.
