GROSSE POINTE PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Bitter cold temperatures and sub-zero wind chills created the perfect storm for water main breaks across metro Detroit Tuesday morning, leaving dozens of homes without water and at least one family dealing with catastrophic flooding.
Watch Peter Maxwell's video report below:
The Cline family of Grosse Pointe Park woke up to a nightmare scenario when a water main break on Bedford Street sent 26 inches of water rushing into their basement.
"About 6 o'clock this morning, my husband went down to the basement and found 26 inches of water," Sherette Cline said.
The flooding was so severe that couches, refrigerators and other belongings were floating in the basement while the sump pump worked overtime to remove the water.
"Something has to be done about these water problems. This is not the first time something like this has happened," Cline said.
For the Clines, the situation became even worse when the burst water main also broke the sewer line to their nearly 100-year-old home, creating a double disaster.
"It's just hard to have to deal with in 3-degree weather in the middle of winter," Cline said.
Crews had to shut off water to dozens of homes while working to repair the damage. Joshua Chafin, Grosse Pointe Park Water Department supervisor, explained the extent of the problem.
"Got down there, found the leak, clamped it. But their sewer lead happened to be right under the main where it blew and it kind of eviscerated their sewer line," Chafin said.
Grosse Pointe Park's Department of Public Works has been working non-stop to repair the broken water main. With bitter cold temperatures and aging infrastructure, Chafin warns there could be more breaks ahead.
"We're ready. Plenty of clamps, plenty of guys, everybody helps out," Chafin said.
The problems weren't limited to Grosse Pointe Park. I found three water main breaks in Eastpointe, coating streets in ice as crews worked to repair them.
Related video: 4-hour rescue attempt ends with dog saved from ice float on Detroit River
Eastpointe resident Shaniya Cason discovered the water outage when she tried to cook.
"I put the water on to start cooking and yeah, water just didn't come out," Cason said.
The sudden loss of water service caught residents off guard.
"I wish that I got a notice, but I guess you can't give notice to these things," Cason said.
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