Flood victims threatened by more storms Tuesday

As the cleanup from last week's historic flood continues, the last thing victims need is the threat of another storm sweeping through metro Detroit.

Dark clouds are beginning to form Tuesday and people across southeast Michigan are on a race against the clock prepare for another hit from Mother Nature. However, for many of the homes that got hit the hardest with storm damage, the only thing those residents can do to prepare is pray or pack up and leave town.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross are back in neighborhoods looking for people who are still in dire need of help from the flood's devastation. They are looking to offer support for people who need safer sleeping arrangements, financial assistance and many other necessities.

Warren resident Mary Ann Klimoski is one of the many residents still going through the task of documenting all the items that were destroyed in the flood. Her daughter had flown in from Minnesota to help her finish clearing the water from her basement and clean up the remainder of her home's damage.

The Warren mayor's office said that all employees of the department of public works, water and sewerage are required to work overtime to clear catch basins and drains in hopes of preventing more flooding.  

Liz Scaris, another Warren resident who experienced devastating flood damage, was just released from the hospital after receiving an infection from trying to rescue belongings in the contaminated water that backed up in her basement.

"I had some cuts, and that sewage water got in there and I didn't have time to put peroxide or anything on it," said Scaris. "Next thing I know, my leg was swelled up bad, I got really hot and had a fever."

Scaris and her roommate, Gretchen Domino, still have a hole in the side of their house caused from water pressure buildup that collapsed her home's foundation.  In addition, there is also a huge pile of dirt outside the house waiting for more rain to turn it into a mudslide.

"I think I better go build an ark somewhere and get everyone on my block in it," said Domino.

But for Coreena Dragoi, she plans to pack up what's left of her belongings and leave Warren permanently. The storm damage has forced her to live in a tent outside her home for more than a week. She says that whatever she can't take will be left at the curb for scavengers.

"There's people walking up to the houses and looking in the windows to see what they could get," Dragoi said. "I've had enough and  I just don't feel right anymore. And it's too bad because I have wonderful neighbors."

Whether it's moving things off the ground, trying to secure the damage that's already done, or leaving the city for good, community members are doing their best to brace themselves for whatever the storm has in store for metro Detroit.


About the Authors:

Paula Tutman is an Emmy award-winning journalist who came to Local 4 in 1992. She's married and the stepmother of three beautiful and brilliant daughters. Her personal philosophy in life, love and community is, "Do as much as you can possibly do, not as little as you can possibly get away with".