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Fed-up Dearborn Heights residents want action before next round of flooding

Residents still recovering from last week's floods

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. – As the rain returns to Metro Detroit on Thursday, nerves will be frayed once again for Dearborn Heights residents.

It's been a week since intense flooding hit the city, swamping neighborhoods and causing damage that'll take weeks to fix. Throughout the ordeal, residents have asked what the city is doing to prevent future flooding.

Tom Delomas' home is almost unrecognizable after heavy flooding in Dearborn Heights.

"I'm stuck left with this," Delomas said. "They had to rip everything out. They had to do everything, and this is what I'm left after insurance."

He said it's stressful and he's struggling to pay for repairs.

"What am I going to do?" Delomas asked. "I've got to roll with the punches here."

He's spoken to city officials several times over the years about the flooding.

"They know where I'm at and what I'm under here," Delomas said. "They said, 'Tom, we just don't have the money.'"

Delomas isn't the only frustrated resident.

"We had a beautiful basement -- furniture, everything," resident Namett Turfe said.

Turfe said her basement now looks like a construction zone.

"We had to rip everything out," Turfe said.

Turfe said she found two feet of water in her basement.

"I was terrified," Turfe said. "This is home. We've been in it for 45 years."

Delomas and Turfe said they don't want to move. They want city officials to fix the problems before the next round of floods.


About the Authors
Koco McAboy headshot

Koco joined the Local 4 News team in September of 2016. She was born and raised in Metro Detroit, attended Central Michigan University, and previously worked at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids.

Derick Hutchinson headshot

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

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