Southwest Detroit water main break: Residents play the waiting game

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Ten days after a 54-inch water main broke on the city's southwest side, flooding the streets and basements of roughly 400 homes, families are starting to make their way back - slowly.

Early in the morning on Monday, Feb. 17, residents in the area of N. Green and Rowan streets in southwest Detroit woke up to find no water coming out of their faucets and flood outside.

The cause was a 54-inch steel water main that broke, spilling hundreds of gallons of water rushing to the surface and flooding the streets – sending trash and cars and anything not nailed down swirling in the impromptu river.

Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) Director Gary Brown said at the time that it was the worst water main break he has seen in a densely populated area in the 10 years he has been running the department.

Roel Lopez was one of those who was hit hard by the broken main. Ten days after the flood, he's still trying to get some things done so he get back home.

"I was waiting for the city yesterday at 11 and they never came, they never showed up. I was waiting all day," Lopez said. "It’s supposed to not be like this. They’re supposed to be on it."

He's one of many families waiting for the city to deliver a new water heater and furnace. 

"I don’t know what they’re gonna do or when they’re gonna start. This crew said they’re waiting for the preparations for the city so they can start with the damage," he said.

DWSD Spokesperson Bryan Peckinpaugh said they're working as quickly as they can and are focusing on families who are displaced, first.

"Our priority are the people in the hotels, especially with kids," Peckinpaugh said. "We are working through that. (There are) 64 houses to clean – get their furnaces repaired or replaced, hot water tanks repaired or replaced – and then we’ll get them back in their home."

The city is planning to get the cleanups completed within six weeks and they're footing the bill for repairs. 

Until then, the waiting is going to continue.

Volunteers are now on the streets, like Maria Salinas and Sonia Rose Alvarado, who stopped in to help.

"We are trying to take requests, also, so families have specific needs – we put them into a document that's shared by five of our agencies and then we can all make sure that the residents are getting exactly what they need," Alvarado said.