Dearborn residents demand stronger solutions to tackle decades-long flooding crisis
DEARBORN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Some Dearborn residents left a public meeting about the city's future disaster recovery plan unhappy after less than 10 people showed up.
On Tuesday, just a handful of residents like Ann Mastroianni showed up to the Dearborn Administrative Center for a public meeting to weigh in on a revised $27 million disaster recovery plan meant to tackle major flooding throughout the city.
While Mastroianni's main concern is finding a way for her basement not to flood like it did in 2021, she's also concerned about why she was just one of a handful of people to attend the meeting out of more than 23,000 people the action plan will affect.
"My understanding is from the show of today's meeting; how am I supposed to find out what is going on? Where is everyone?" Ann Mastroianni, whose basement flooded in 2021, said.
Community Development Compliance Officer Regina Sistrunk led Tuesday's meeting and said any public input will be considered when publishing a finalized plan.
"The comments that are submitted and solicited today will be incorporated in our substantial amendment," Sistrunk said.
Sistrunk says more than $17 million will go to cleaning out the Colson Palmer Stormwater Line that funnels stormwater from Dearborn's northeast end to the Rouge River. Sistrunk says the line is frequently underwater because of rising water levels and major rainfall.
"The main strategy is for us to clean out the stormwater," Sistrunk said.
In addition, $9 million will be allocated to the Oakwood Boulevard Infrastructure Project, which is expected to improve stormwater management. The remainder of the funding is expected to go to flooding kits to aid residents, green infrastructure projects at Salina Schools, rain gardens throughout the city, and tree planting to interrupt rainfall.
Despite the efforts outlined in the action plan, resident Sue Suchyta, whose basement flooded at least twice, says she is not convinced these changes will prevent another major storm from taking over her bottom floor.
"I'm hearing rain gardens and more trees, but that's not going to stop water from going into our basements," Suchyta said.
Linda Ratcliffe says she lives in the home her parents built in 1957, but within the last decade, her basement has flooded four times.
"I had rat feces and bugs for years. Every time it rains, I shake. That house was built in 1957. I was born in 1961. I want to move out of Dearborn, but I want to find a place where I feel safe. I don't feel safe here," Ratcliffe said.
And while moving out may seem like a simple solution, Ratcliffe says selling her house is easier said than done.
"No one wants to buy a house that smells like sewage. It can take years to get rid of that smell," Ratcliffe said.
While most residents who attended Tuesday's meeting met city officials with complaints, Sistrunk says their comments will be considered when finalizing Dearborn's amended disaster recovery action plan due Sept. 18.
Once the plan is approved, Sistrunk says proposed improvements to tackling the city's decades-long flooding crisis will begin as soon as March 2024.