Hundreds of Detroit Families Forced Out of Homes After Water Main Breaks ArticlePure

A major water main break in Southwest Detroit impacted around 400 properties in the area on Monday, Feb. 17.

On Monday at around 3:30 a.m., the steel pipe, which was built in the 1930s, burst, suffered a break on a 54-inch water transmission main, Great Lakes Water Authority said, per NBC News. The flood began in the 1020 Beard Street area and expanded through North Green Street, near Interstate 75.

Around five feet of water flooded the streets, and families were rescued via boats from the area, including 63 adults and 31 children, per NBC News. Due to the snow and icy conditions, it took crews several hours to find the valves, Gary Brown, Director of Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD), said.

“The exact cause isn’t known but it’s most likely a combination of aging infrastructure and freezing temperatures,” City spokesperson John Roach said in a statement on Monday, per NBC News. The temperature reached a low of 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit, per the BBC.

Nearly 300 Detroit residents were evacuated to hotel rooms after their homes were flooded with icy water and no heat was accessible amid subfreezing temperatures, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said at a news conference on Tuesday, Feb. 18, per NBC News.

“We have shifted from the rescue phase to the service phase and we are now going house to house,” Duggan said on Tuesday.

A team of 80 city employees and community volunteers with the city, Great Lakes Water Authority and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department have begun checking in on the residents. As of Wednesday afternoon, checked with 110 of the 400 impacted homes. Of those contacted, only 10 did not have water in their basements, Brown said.

In a Wednesday press conference, Brown said that 50 homes were sent an advisory to boil their water because the city is still testing the water for potential bacteria, per ClickOnDetroit.

A nearly 12-foot section of pipe is expected to be replaced. 

“We are dedicating a team of focus on recovery efforts over the next six weeks to get people back in their homes and address health and safety issues,” Brown said on Wednesday, per The Detroit News.

“The main thing is to get the homes back so that people can live in them again,” he continued. “Let’s get the furnaces, the hot water tanks sanitized and clean so people can get back into them. That’s the phase that we’re in now.”

Duggan said the city and the Great Lakes Water Authority will cover the cost of damages and pay for anything insurance will not cover. Additionally, Detroit police will tow any cars and bring them to the 4th Precinct, and all charges and fees will be waived. 

Several cars were frozen in place and are now no longer working due to the flooding, resident Michael Muzzey told WXYZ.

Residents can use Uber for free to get to and from work and the grocery store, but the ride must be ordered through the city by calling the Emergency Hotline at 313-774-5261.

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Representatives for the City of Detroit, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and Great Lakes Water Authority did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Wednesday.