Michigan township residents calling on officials to work on flooding concerns
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Homeowners across Metro Detroit are again struggling with flooding. For one family in Shelby Township, it is the fourth time this year.
"It makes you laugh at that point because what do you do with all of this?" said Victoria Minano.
Minano is trying to remain optimistic in a situation that at its core, is truly no laughing matter for any homeowner.
"The first flood happened at the end of August, early September last year," she said.
On Tuesday, the pumps were sending water back into the Middle Branch River from the end of their road after it flooded onto their property from the backyard.
"There's so much water. How do you keep that away from your house, you know? Every answer we're getting is oh well, that's going to cost you as much as you paid for your house, basically, and that's understandable. But, we would like more help and assistance other than you have to figure it out yourself," Minano says.
She tells us she feels like they are going in circles between city and county public works departments, with a lot of finger-pointing but no solutions to what Minano says actually addressing what the issue may stem from.
In a statement to CBS News Detroit, a spokesperson for the Macomb County Public Works office tells us:
"Our staff, along with Shelby Township, met promptly with the homeowner and neighbors this afternoon. We feel bad for the homeowner experiencing flooding. Our records show that, unfortunately, the area is in a flood plain and has experienced an excessive amount of rain in the past month and, in particular, the last few days. Our inspection today showed that there are no obstructions in the river causing the flooding to occur. In addition to the local precipitation, flow in the Middle Branch from the northern communities contributes to the flooding which will recede after the river crests and falls below flood stage."
"We're feeling pretty defeated, you know. We're not getting any answers, we're not really getting any help from anybody and how do we come up with this, you know? It's really frustrating," Minano said.