(WXYZ) — The Great Lakes Water Authority said it expects it will need at least two weeks to repair a massive 54-inch water main break that left a Southwest Detroit neighborhood flooded on Monday.
The GLWA said the 54-inch steel water transmission main broke early Monday morning in the area of Beard and Rowan in Southwest Detroit. It impacted between 150 and 200 homes in the neighborhood.
The break left more than five feet of standing water in some areas, but crews have been on site since Monday morning as they work to expedite water removal from the area. City officials said this was the worst water main break they had ever seen.
See the latest update from DWSD Director Gary Brown in the video below
Crews had been working for days to remove the water, and on Wednesday morning, the GLWA said water have been removed and the area around the break has been excavated.
According to the GLWA, they expect that a 12-foot section of pipe will need to be removed and replaced. Officials say the replacement section of the pipe has been ordered and is expected to be delivered to the site within the next 24 hours.
Todd King with the GLWA said they have two emergency contractors on site assisting in the repairs and recovery. King said that it could take between one and two weeks to get the new pipe in place and welded.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in the Tuesday update that there are 398 houses in the emergency flood zone, and there are 83 families in hotels, totaling 296 people. Duggan said there are 72 houses without power, 190 houses with basement flooding and 174 houses with no heat.
The next steps, according to Duggan, said that the city needs to inspect every house that has been impacted by the flood zone. Duggan said they have 80 inspectors from a variety of departments, including building and safety, fire and health departments.
"They have to go into your house and assess the damage. It is the first step before we can get in to replace the furnace, clean the basement, etc.," Duggan said.
DWSD Director Gary Brown said in an update on Wednesday afternoon that they have completed 110 city inspections, and of those, at least 100 homes had some water in the basement. He also said people can begin filing damage claims on Wednesday at detroitmi.gov/dwsd.
After that, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department will get emergency contracts in place by Monday to start doing repairs, but first, the houses have to be inspected.
However, Duggan said people should file a claim with their insurance company first, as they can do that right now. The DWSD and GLWA will cover the cost of damage that is not covered under insurance, the mayor said.
Our crews at the scene on Tuesday morning saw that water was flowing, but Detroit Water and Sewerage Department officials said that it was part of the process as they opened and closed valves to manage the break.
Watch below: Repair work continues after water main break causes flooding in SW Detroit neighborhood
“This was a failure of the water main system,” Duggan said. “It took a couple of hours to find the valves that were covered in ice and snow to be able to isolate and shut off the water and identify exactly where the break was.”
“It's a tragic situation — we understand that. Our heart goes out to the people impacted by this,” GLWA CEO Suzanne Coffey said.
Related video: Who will pay for repairs from massive Detroit water main break flooding?
Those residents who want inspections on their homes will also call 313-774-5261 to get the process started. The city also said they have partnered with Uber to get people rides if their car was impacted by the flooding.
We spoke with two women who were searching for a solution. They have four kids between the ages of 4 and 13 in their home. The kids are safe, but one woman we spoke to said the water rose to their beds while they were sleeping.
"It was coming in really, really fast," the woman told us. "It has gone up to the first floor already... it's way too cold, I tried going in the water but I couldn't, it froze my legs up.
"It felt like Titanic," the woman continued. "Like pins and needles and burning. I've never felt pain like that before."
