DETROIT (WXYZ) — Southwest Detroit continues to recover from the devastating flood as the community rallies to help.
The Great Lakes Water Authority told us the 19-foot replacement pipe is now on scene and crews will continue work throughout the weekend. However, the fix could take at least two weeks. The streets are also still caked in mud, with lots of cleanup still ahead.
Related video: First basement cleaning crews now working in area of Detroit water main break
While dozens of families are sheltering in hotels or staying with family members, others are staying put and braving the cold.
“We’ll turn the oven on, we’ll boil some water, whatever we can to stay warm during the day. But at the end of the day, we’re still walking around the house with our coats on,” southwest Detroit resident Brandon Ortiz said.
Ortiz had his furnace destroyed in the flood and has spent the week without heat. His car, which sat in 4 feet of water, has been towed from the street. City inspectors went in his basement this week inspecting damage to the home he's put a decade of time and money into.
“Little by little, trying to fix your house up and make changes and do things that you can. It kinda feels like it was literally washed away in the water,” Ortiz said. “Something so unexpected that can just in a manner of one hour turn things upside down. You feel pretty heartbroken.”
I also spoke with Amarpo Ibarra as her daughter Yaretzi translated. Their family is one of the few on the block that has heat, but life still isn’t easy.
“Right now since all the mess is everywhere, it's really hard to travel and go to places to do daily activities we would normally be doing,” Yaretzi said translating for her mother.
Chopper 7 showed the spot where the 12-foot section of damaged pipe was removed and contractors are now inspecting the condition on the surrounding pipe.
CHOPPER VIDEO: Repairs continue on massive water main break in SW Detroit
Meanwhile, work extends beyond southwest Detroit and into the east side, where fellow Detroiters saw the devastation.
“When the sun came up about 7:30 and they showed the aerial view, I was mortified," Lejuan Council said. "I know how that feels.”
Council, along with many of her neighbors, had serious damage to her Jefferson Chalmers home as summer rain storms throughout the last five years brought flooding and sewer backups to her neighborhood.
“It's devastating because you feel helpless," Council said. There is no warning, and there's not enough support for the subject.”
In response, Council started the Detroit Area Disaster Recovery Group in 2021. On Friday, they collected 300 boxes of food from Forgotten Harvest and 200 buckets of cleaning supplies from the local nonprofit Disaster Relief At Work, which is based in Waterford. All the supplies will benefit those in southwest Detroit, as the organization chips in for long term recovery.
Watch when we spoke with Detroit Area Disaster Recovery Group and Disaster Relief At Work earlier this week in the video below:
“We respond as one Detroit," Council said. "This is not Jefferson Chalmers, it's not southwest, it’s one Detroit.”
“You definitely feel the unity and that definitely helps," Ortiz said. "It keeps us afloat.”
The American Red Cross has also opened a site at La Sed Youth Center and Senior Center. It’s open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
