Flood Response Should Happen Before Next Storm Hits, Some on Detroit City Council Say
Council Member Raquel Castañeda-López says Detroit should expand assistance beyond the cleanups it provides low-income families.
City officials in Detroit are discussing how to prevent future flooding disasters. Federal Emergency Management Agency teams are in Southeast Michigan to help individuals affected by the heavy rains in late June that caused widespread flooding. But some on Detroit City Council say the response should happen before the next storm.
Council Member Raquel Castañeda-López said Tuesday Detroit should expand assistance beyond the cleanups it provides low-income families.
“There’s people who spent thousands of dollars cleaning up their own property the first time only to have it flood a week later. To replace their appliances, only to have them flooded and damaged again a couple weeks later,” she said.
City policymakers are drafting a plan to use relief funds for private home repairs. A resolution would have to go for a vote before going into effect. Officials say funding can come from federal pandemic relief aid or other areas of the city’s budget.
90% of Flood Claims Denied
The Aug. 9 deadline to file claims from June’s rainstorm in Detroit has come and passed — and many will be rejected. The city has seen more than 20,000 claims from the June floods.
Ninety percent of the city’s claims are denied, according to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. The department says that’s because many of the city’s flooding problems are worsened by issues on private properties like broken sewer lines and downspouts. DWSD only settles if it determines it bears most of the responsibility for the flood damage.
Deputy Director Palencia Mobley said more funding may come from the state and federal government.
“We are exploring every option that is available for these private property-related retrofits from the angle of protecting public health,” she said.
Several regionally owned water pumps failed to work during June’s storm, exacerbating drainage issues. Officials with the Great Lakes Water Authority said one-third of the system’s water pumps at the Conners Creek and Freud facilities failed to work because of power outages during the June storms.
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