Summer storms prompt flooding frustrations for northwest Detroit neighborhood
(CBS DETROIT) — When it rains in one northwest Detroit neighborhood near Evergreen and Seven Mile Roads, homeowners and renters say the water pours, leading to basement flooding and property damage.
"It's debilitating," said homeowner John Shorter. "It's sad, and depressing to wake up in the morning to two and a half feet of water in your basement."
The aftermath of severe storm-induced floods typically results in basements filled with baskets, bags, and remnants of rainwater.
"It's been worse, [but] it's gotten better," Shorter said.
Shorter also invested in improving things and protecting his home from floods, spending upwards of $5,400 to install a system to keep his basement flood-free.
"It's worth every penny of it," he said.
Shorter's next-door neighbor, Tamia Knight, says she wishes her landlord would invest in flood prevention, too.
"Somebody's been here to snake it probably five or six times [since May]," Knight said.
Knight moved into her home on Shaftsbury Ave. in February, but she says the frequent basement flooding is becoming unbearable.
"This is my first time moving out in my own house from my mom's house," Knight said. "I give [the experience] a negative 10 out of a 10."
"It feels horrible," said Knight's neighbor Austin Pettway. "You can be laying in the bed, and you hear the water, and it's like here it comes, and you've got to get up and deal with that."
Bryan Peckinpaugh, a spokesperson for Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, says the city gets calls about basement flooding daily, even when it doesn't rain.
"In most cases, about 90% of the time when there's basement backup it is a private issue," Peckinpaugh said. "The line's got roots in it, [its] got a root ball, it's got a crack, or it's got collapsing off our public sewer line."
Peckinpaugh says if your basement floods, you should call his department. The city will send someone out and determine if it's a private or public issue.