DETROIT (WXYZ) — As we battle these frigid below-zero wind chills, people living in Detroit neighborhoods are dealing with water main breaks, and it's turning city streets into frozen rivers.
Watch Whitney Burney's video report:
Gary Brown, the Detroit Water and Sewerage director, said workers are repairing a "couple dozen" water main breaks throughout the city of Detroit on Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon, DWSD officials put the total number of water main breaks at 51, most of them minor.
VIDEO: Watch more from Gary Brown in the player below
Brown said that workers with the Department of Public Works were called in to clear the drains before repairs start.
"This is historic, regionally, to have this deep of a freeze for this long of a time because it looks like it's going to go on another week, maybe 10 days," Brown said. "We're asking people to be patient. We can't get to everyone at the same time, but we're going to make sure people have water and that we get the streets cleared and that everybody's safe."
Brown said there have been no reports of homes without water service. He also said that those without water will be the priority fixes throughout this process.
7 News Detroit has been monitoring two water mains in the city: one on Laing Street near Britain Avenue, which was considered the most serious in the city, and the other on Dequindre Street near East State Fair Avenue. The water poured into the streets all morning and in these frigid temperatures, it caused problems for people living in the area and for drivers.
Watch Brittany Toolis' report in the video player below:
On Laing, you could see trash cans and even cars frozen in place. That mess was cleared up by the afternoon news conference.
These water main breaks come amid a bitter cold snap, which we know is top of mind for so many across metro Detroit. Right now, a cold weather advisory is in effect for the entirety of Southeast Michigan. That's because our wind chills are well below zero degrees, which has caused hundreds of schools to close in recent days.
We talked with a nurse stuck in a vehicle in the middle of Laing, with water coming up to her tires. She told us she doesn't live on this block but turned down on her lunch break at 2:30 a.m. and didn't see water or ice covering the street.
"I’m on lunch break. So I was coming, I was driving to this gas station and it’s so dark on this block. I was coming to go around the block and ran into this," Brandy told us. "I'm just frustrated — just frustrated. It’s late. I’m trying to get back to work, and I'm just a little frustrated."
Brandy was one of multiple vehicles surrounded by water. She was stuck for about 30 minutes when we talked to her, running her vehicle to stay warm. Thankfully, she got back to work safe. She was stuck in her car for over an hour. Her vehicle and others have since been removed.
Tyrese Jordan says he just moved to the area last year.
"It’s a lot to go on because it’s like it’s snowing and it’s cold and people got to go to school. The kids got to go to school," Jordan said as he laughed. "It’s crazy because you can’t get out of your house. You can’t even drive your car."
Aaron Passmore, who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 40 years, was also iced in on Tuesday morning.
"Once it started flooding, we stay up because we watch for the flooding in the basement 'cause that’s normally what’s happening," Passmore said.
Passmore says this isn't the first time he's seen flooding or a water main break in the area.
"We’re surprised that it was to this extent," Passmore said. "We seem ignored. I don’t want to sit there and talk about the politicians, but they’re just slow to respond."
No timeline was provided for when these breaks will be repaired completely repaired. However in a news conference Tuesday, officials said they plan to increase the number of crews working the breaks from nine to 11 on Wednesday. They're hopeful to fix at least 20 breaks each day but do anticipate more water main breaks over the coming days as brutal temperatures continue.
If you're experiencing problems with water mains in your area, email us using the form below to make your concerns heard.
