Editor’s note: Anyone impacted by the flooding in Southwest Detroit in need of assistance should call 313-774-5261. The line will be staffed until 8 p.m. Monday and 24 hours thereafter. 

A massive flood that froze on Monday morning and left Southwest Detroit residents stranded in their homes needing rescue was the result of a transmission water line break, officials said.

The Great Lakes Water Authority reported a 54-inch water main at Beard and Rowan burst around 2 a.m., spilling a large volume of water into surrounding streets and impacting hundreds of residents, according to city officials. Water flooded out of the water main for about five hours before the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and GLWA were able to find the source, turn off the valves and reroute the water, said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.

“This was a failure of a Detroit-built, GLWA-maintained water main and we’re going to fix it,” Duggan said during a press conference Monday afternoon, hours after rescue crews used rubber boats to pull residents from their frozen homes. 

Everyone affected will have damages covered by the city and GLWA, Duggan said. City inspectors will visit homes and assess the damage, but Duggan said furnaces, hot water heaters and other appliances will be repaired and replaced at no cost to residents. 

Crews successfully removed 54 adults, 22 children and 12 pets from the impacted homes, by Monday afternoon Duggan said. One person was transported to the hospital with a breathing issue, but otherwise, everyone else was taken to an emergency shelter set up at Patton Recreation Center. DWSD Director Gary Brown said it was the worst water main break he’s ever seen, flooding a densely populated neighborhood.

Duggan said water valves started being turned off by 7:30 a.m. and the water started to recede around 8 a.m. As of 2 p.m. Monday, there were still 80 people knocking doors in the neighborhood to make sure every family is safe. 

A number of measures were announced to help those displaced by the flood, which at its peak in the early morning hours reached up to the first floor of some homes. 

• Those displaced and with no power, water or heat will be put up in a Sonesta extended stay hotel for however long it takes to replace damaged furnaces. Food will be provided by the city. Pets below a certain weight size will also be welcomed. 
•  If your dog is too large to stay at the hotel, Detroit Animal Control will house your pet until you can make other arrangements or return home. 
• Basement inspections and clean-up will begin as soon as the rest of the water recedes. Residents will not have to worry about the repair costs. 
• Those with flooded and damaged cars will have them towed by Detroit Police to the Fourth Precinct free of charge. 
• For those that cannot use their vehicles, the city is working to establish Uber service to get people to jobs and appointments. 

“We are treating this as a failure of the water main system, and the DWSD and GLWA are going to pay for the damage and pay for your loss,” the mayor said. “Your uninsured damage will be split evenly between GLWA and DWSD.”

Anyone impacted in need of assistance should call 313-774-5261. The line will be staffed until 8 p.m. Monday and 24 hours thereafter. 

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Detroit City Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero said Monday that more than 150 households were likely affected. City officials did not provide an estimate at a press conference later that afternoon. Alex Alsup, vice president of research and development at the property data company Regrid, estimated 419 occupied homes are within an impact area defined by GLWA, including 185 homeowners and 234 renters.

‘A massive disaster’

Carmen Vega and her sister were rescued by boat and transported by bus to Patton Recreation Center. There were 14 families there by Monday afternoon. Vega, a retired carpenter who worked at the Renaissance Center, said she’s grateful to be safe, but her biggest worry is when she can return home.

“It’s a massive disaster,” Vega said. “Everything was ice.” 

Residents who spoke with BridgeDetroit unanimously said their basements are likely destroyed, fearing the loss of personal property, cars and appliances. Emergency responders unfurled large tarps at Patton Recreation Center, which can house 700 people. Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network and homeless outreach teams are on site to assist. Local animal shelters are coordinating to take care of pets. 

“The issue will not be restoring water – It’ll be a question of how fast we can replace furnaces,” Duggan said. “But folks are going to be able to stay at the hotel until your house is restored and you can comfortably go back.” 

Vega said she was told the city would provide hotel rooms but wasn’t sure when that would happen. She has a mobility challenge that requires the use of a cane while her sister struggles with seizures. Vega doesn’t want to stay at the recreation center longer than needed. 

She showed BridgeDetroit a video she took while being carried from her home in an inflatable boat. Vega called out to check on a neighbor stranded on their porch, saying “I feel like a queen.” 

“I’m trying to make jokes but I don’t want to be a queen, I want to be in our house,” she said. 

@PolarBarrett and I are on the scene for @BridgeDet313 https://t.co/8J0fbmsm8F pic.twitter.com/3n8TQyYJwn

— Bryce Huffman (@BryceHuffman313) February 17, 2025

Santiago-Romero, who represents Council District 6 where the flooding occurred, coordinated support for families affected by the flooding.  Santiago-Romero said she’s concerned with how quickly the city can inspect homes and return people to their homes.

She’s also concerned about potential strain on the city’s homelessness care network, which was left reeling last week when two unhoused children died while sheltering in a car parked in Hollywood Casino at Greektown. Santiago-Romero said the system is “already so overwhelmed.” 

“The city wants to really streamline everything, which is smart,” she said. “If you’re a neighbor with resources, help your neighbor. It’s going to take a minute to hear back (from the city).”

Santiago-Romero said Santos Church is providing dinner to residents on Monday night. The Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation is also collecting resources and offering translation support, she said.

It’s unclear how much water was discharged over the course of a few hours. GLWA CEO Sue Coffey said simply described it as “a lot,” and said the level was estimated at five feet deep. 

The first report of a problem came into Detroit Police at 2 a.m. with the report of a large bang. By 2:17 a.m., the flooding had begun and officers began going door-to-door to alert residents and get them to move their cars out of the flooded areas, DPD Interim Chief Todd Bettison said at the press conference. 

As the water rose, it took until 4 a.m. for DWSD to realize it was a transmission water line break and got GLWA involved by 5 a.m. It took until 7:30 a.m. to find the source of the leak – a steel pipe built in the 1930s – turn off the valves and by 8:30 a.m. the water levels began to recede, Duggan detailed. 

Early Monday afternoon, Juan Lopez stood a few blocks from where emergency responders pulled out a young family huddled in a rescue boat. Lopez’s dog was barking from his porch while he looked on.

“I’ve got a lot of family over here, I don’t want to leave my house alone,” he said. 

Residents said the neighborhood is prone to flooding during heavy rains, as catchwater basins don’t drain water fast enough to prevent water from accumulating in the street. 

“I’ve stayed here almost 30 years now on this street and we always have a problem with the water,” Lopez said. 

Lopez said his basement is severely damaged and he expects to lose his water heater, boiler and washing machine. He’s unsure if flood insurance will cover the damage, though he pays $1,500 a year for it. 

Alberto Cuevas said his basement was flooded but the waters rose higher in the homes of other family members nearby.

“Every time it rains hard, some of the basements get flooded,” Cuevas said. “All the houses go underwater.” 

Was it avoidable?

Cuevas said residents were working together to check on neighbors and help people get out of their homes. Several young men donned waders and rubber boots to trudge through knee-high water. Dozens of cars were left stranded in the accumulated ice. 

Andrew Barocio was waiting for his 60-year-old mother to be looked at by health responders before taking her to his home a few blocks away. Barocio said his mother’s basement was destroyed and her washing machine and dryer were floating in flood waters. He was worried her car is also damaged. Water was up to the wheels and Barocio said she needs the car to get to health appointments. 

Vega said there have been three water main breaks in the area that she can remember. She wants answers. 

“If it was avoidable…” she said, letting the thought linger. 

Coffey said there was really no way to know the transmission line, buried deep underground, would burst. 

“We have 800 miles of pipes,” she said. “The engineers who designed these systems designed them to be closed systems. It’s not likely that it was preventable.”

Robert Crowe, 54, a lifelong Southwest Detroiter was moved to Patton Recreation Center along with his whole family (pets included) due to the flooding. He said he’s been coming to the rec center since he was a kid, but this was new. 

He learned about the flooding when he came downstairs around 5 a.m. Crowe said he saw an unstoppable stream of water pouring in through the back door. 

“I looked out the window to see the tires on my truck were completely covered (in water and ice),” he said. “My neighbors were out there since 4 a.m. trying to clear the drains, but I knew this flooding wasn’t from the drains.”

His house wasn’t safe to stay in. Crews came knocking to get him and his family out. Together with his wife, daughter, son, the son’s girlfriend, his son-in-law, his grandchildren and his three dogs and one cat, they were put on a shuttle.  

“We got a knock at the door and they wanted us to evacuate because they were about to shut off the water and the power was going to go out and the basement was flooded, which took the heater out.” 

BridgeDetroit Engagement Editor Bryce Huffman contributed to this story.