Cleanup Assistance Available

Volunteers and City of Detroit employees will help senior or disabled residents who need assistance clearing flood-damaged materials from their home. Residents should indicate if they are seniors or persons with a disability on the online form at detroitmi.gov/waterdamageclaims or when calling DWSD at 313-267-8000.

Quicken Loans is assisting the City by providing employees to handle flood calls from residents.

Helping Neighbors

In addition, the City is looking for volunteers to work four-hour shifts to help move debris from the basements of elderly or disabled residents. The City will provide protective gear.

The schedule of volunteer gathering centers will be set later this week for different neighborhoods. To sign up as a volunteer, go to detroitmi.gov.

Process of Filing a Claim

Residents with property damaged by flooding may be able to get reimbursement by filing a claim with the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department (DWSD). Those claims also may be filed with FEMA if a presidential declaration of disaster is issued.

For most people during this historic flood event, a DWSD sewer defect is not likely the cause of the damage. But filling out the form will get residents a head start on federal assistance.

Losses should be documented with photos of the flood damage and receipts related to cleaning and repairs. Homeowners should file a claim with their insurance company immediately. Under state law, residents have 45 days to file a claim with DWSD. The deadline is August 10.

Fill out the claim form at detroitmi.gov/waterdamageclaims or call (313) 267-8000 for assistance.

City, State Officials Explain Emergency Declaration and FEMA Process

On June 26, roughly 5.77 inches of rain fell in Detroit overwhelming the region’s storm water system. Detroit got almost two months of rain in one day, mostly within five hours. The average rainfall for June is three inches.

In response, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued an emergency declaration and will submit a request for Presidential declaration of emergency along with documentation to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

From there, FEMA will visit the area and evaluate whether disaster conditions exist. The President will then make a determination of disaster.

If a major disaster is declared, FEMA funds are unlocked and can be used for payments to help offset residents’ losses.

However, a disaster declaration takes time. After the August 2014 flooding in Detroit, President Barack Obama declared a major disaster about a month after the flood event.

Left to right: DWSD Director Gary Brown, Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist, Mayor Mike Duggan and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer discuss historic flooding, State emergency declaration and FEMA process at a news briefing June 28.

City to Assist Homeowners with Health Hazards; Pick Up Flood Debris

Residents are encouraged to clean and sanitize basements immediately unless there is an immediate health hazard. In those cases, the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department (DWSD) will send City or contractor crews to those homes. Residents should indicate the hazard when completing the online form at detroitmi.gov/waterdamageclaims or calling (313) 267-8000.

Residents should place debris at the curb. The Department of Public Works (DPW) crews will provide continuous bulk pickup service in flood-affected neighborhoods. Ticketing is suspended in those neighborhoods until the removal is complete.

City Offers At-Home COVID Vaccines to Eligible Detroiters

The City of Detroit is now scheduling at-home vaccinations for any Detroit resident age 12 and up.

The at-home vaccinations are the latest in the City’s ongoing efforts to provide residents with the COVID-19 vaccine.  Those efforts included visiting homeless shelters, senior buildings and other assisted living facilities, as well as providing access for disabled residents and those without their own transportation and doing door-to-door outreach and education.

To schedule an at-home vaccination appointment, call (313) 230-0505.

Detroiters Identify Neighborhood Rebuilding, Tackling Poverty and Improving Public Safety as Top Priorities for American Rescue Plan Funds

City of Detroit officials asked for residents’ input on how to spend funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and Detroiters have spoken.

Under ARPA, Detroit will receive $826 million, with $400 million designated for COVID-19 relief funding to restore the City’s budget. Residents were asked to weigh in on the remaining $426 million. A total of 3296 residents attended 60 in-person, conference calls or zoom meetings to hear the ARPA presentation in May and June, with 584 residents taking the survey.
Learn more about the survey results.

Detroit Health Department Issues Violations to Church’s Chicken

The Detroit Health Department has issued numerous violations to a Church’s Chicken restaurant in Detroit for failure to comply with the requirements of the Michigan Food Law.
Learn more about the health violations.

City of Detroit Presents Vision for Gratiot/7 Mile Neighborhoods as Part of Strategic Neighborhood Fund

The City of Detroit’s Planning & Development Department (PDD) present its vision for bringing millions of dollars in investment to the Gratiot/7 Mile neighborhoods, the 10th and final Strategic Neighborhood Fund plan to be completed.
Read about the vision for Gratiot/7 Mile neighborhoods.

City of Detroit Extends Emergency Order Aimed at Reducing Transmission of COVID-19

In response to the public health emergency and the risk posed by a resurgence of COVID-19, Detroit’s Chief Public Health Officer Denise Fair issued an emergency public health order extending the restrictions in place for Open Meetings Act until July 31, 2021.
Read the news release.