Metro Detroit cities report flood damaged 33% to 50% of homes, businesses
By Niraj Warikoo, Christina Hall, Robert Allen and Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
With new reports of devastation coming in -- the latest involving a half dozen basements collapsing in
But if the city of
"There are lots of questions," said
In
But O'Reilly said that the storm was a once-in-lifetime type of event, so it would be unfair to blame the city for the problems.
"The system was operating the best it could, but the volume overwhelmed it," said O'Reilly, cautioning that many might not get assistance because of the uniqueness of the storm.
In the wake of the flooding, the
"At this time, there is no indication that federal funding will be made available to assist with flood damage to basements," the DPD said in a release. "Once the assessment is complete, the state will review the information to determine whether
If the region does qualify for aid, the statement said, homeowners will be notified about how to apply for help.
For those who need to report flood damage for assessment, they can call the
Flooding also caused problems in
Meanwhile, public health concerns remain high for several, especially workers like tow truck driver
"(T)he phone wouldn't stop ringing; it blew off the hook," he said. "I ... just couldn't handle them all. It was too overwhelming."
Emmons, owner of GT Towing Service, said he has slept for about 10 hours total over the last few days. He had spent much of his time rescuing people.
"It was horrible," he said. "I've never seen such wrath of God."
The tri-county area was declared a disaster area by Gov.
-- Insurance: Many flooded basements won't be covered
--
At Lowe's Home Improvement in
"We've been able to get emergency shipments from our distribution center," manager
Downriver communities didn't get hit as bad as
In
Meanwhile, an investigation into a possible oil spill in
The flood also impacted trash pickup.
According to a post on the
The company services communities in
When asked if communities could face extra cost from the enormous amount of trash pickup, Munem said some may be requested for additional costs.
"This is a very significant expense," he said, adding that the amount of debris being picked up is "significantly more than you'd see on a regular day. Not only that, it's heavy. It's all heavy. ... It's awful."
Munem said with the state of emergency declarations, the communities may be able to receive state or federal money to cover the cost of police and fire overtime and other related expenses, such as trash pickup, from the flooding.
The flood is believed to have caused another problem in the city: a break in a sanitary sewer line north of 15 Mile and east of Schoenherr, just west of the Red Run Drain. It has created a sinkhole about 20 feet wide, according to a post on the city's Facebook page.
Guitar said crews are working on repairing the line. The system was rerouted so no residences have been impacted. He said drivers may experience a lane closure while the work is going on.
Starting today in
The county is encouraging all residents and businesses that suffered damage from the heavy rain and flood to use an online reporting tool.
The Damage Assessment Report Form can be found on the Emergency Management website at http://oemc.macombgov.org. A hard copy of the form is available at all local government offices.
The purpose of the reporting form is to collect information only for reporting to the state and is not a mechanism for any type of reimbursement of financial assistance, the county said.
The county also established a damage assessment reporting center at the
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