DETROIT – An emergency order was issued Wednesday in Detroit to ramp up the fight against flooding in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood.
Flooding has been an ongoing problem for months. In May, there was a voluntary effort to bag sand and help build up the seawall. Now, the city is officially doing the work under the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers.
"It's coming up all over my property, whole garage, it's coming into my home. I do have a sump pump but it's coming faster than I can accommodate it," resident Wilma Clark Price said.
She lives on one of the hardest hit streets and due to the historic water levels on Lake St Clair and the Detroit River, she has water in her home.
Due to the emergency order, 60 workers and 70 contractors are bagging sand and fortifying seawalls in an attempt to alleviate the flooding and lighten the strain on the storm system.
Residents are worried, and they said sandbags are a temporary fix. They would like to see the seawalls permanently built up.
If residents remove the sandbags, they could get a $500 ticket or be charged with a misdemeanor that could land them some jail time.