Detroit awarded $346M in federal funds to prevent basement flooding following August 2023 storms
(CBS DETROIT) - The city of Detroit has received $346 million to address basement flooding after the storm in August 2023.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Detroit and surrounding communities funding through its community block grant program for disaster recovery. The state of Michigan received $43.5 million and Wayne County received $70.3 million.
Detroit has up to 120 days to create an action plan and determine how the funds will be used. Officials will hold community engagement meetings to gather feedback from residents.
"We can't wait. I can't tell you whether the next big storm is coming in the summer of '25 or the fall of '26 but the rainstorms are getting more sudden and getting more severe," said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. "That's just the truth, and we have to face up to that, and we have to protect our residents."
Nine counties experienced several inches of rain between Aug. 24 and 26, 2023, which flooded homes, streets, and freeways.
According to the National Weather Service, seven tornadoes touched down across the state, six of them in Southeast Michigan. The storms resulted in downed power lines and trees, damaged buildings, and hundreds and thousands of customers without power.
City officials say 5,000 homes experienced flood damage.
"It is devastating to go downstairs and find 3 or 4 feet of raw sewage in your basement, lose your furnace, lose your dryer, lose your belongings. FEMA can write you checks, but it doesn't replace what you go through," Duggan said. "This is an opportunity to make the homes in this city much more secure. It's going to take years to rebuild, but this is a huge jump start.".
