GROSSE POINTE PARK, Mich. – No matter which street you drive through in Grosse Pointe Park or the Jefferson Chalmers area you will see piles of belongings outside homes.
Look across street. Frustration growing as we head into the tenth day following the massive floods.
“Everyday since the flood I have broken down, whether it’s Christmas ornaments or pictures, it’s just an emotional time,” said Lara Miller whose basement is flooded. Miller is trying to salvage what she can.
“Anything with soft material we had to get rid of right away,” said Miller.
The Grosse Pointe Park mother is like many frustrated homeowners up and down her street.
“Not knowing what the failure was and why and if it could happen again, so talk about wildly frustrating,” said Miller.
Her main concern now is what insurance will cover.
“Not everyone can afford to buy a washer, dryer or furnace. That’s thousands of out of pocket expenses,” said Miller.
Barry Cogan was in California when a neighbor called saying he had 12 to 18 inches of water in his basement.
“It was like a disaster zone down there. Things were all over the floor,” said Cogan, who doesn’t have sewer backup insurance.
He cut his trip short and flew back. You can see the growing pile of belongings still waiting to be picked up.
“I don’t understand what their scheduling is and it kind of seems like it’s hit or miss,” said Cogan.
Last week Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller called for an inquiry into the operation of the Conners Creek Pump Station in Detroit.
A day later the Great Lakes Water Authority said it’s looking at conducting an independent investigation.
“They need to be on top of a situation like this, like something can happen. They need to know how to handle it,” said Cogan.
Insurance issues aside the one silver lining is folks say family and friends have been helping them clean up.