Huntington Woods neighbors clean up mess left by historic flooding

Ruined belongings move from flooded basements to curb

HUNTINGTON WOODS, Mich. – Furniture, appliances and other belongings people had no intention of getting rid of just a couple of days before are on the curb in one Huntington Woods neighborhood, waiting for the trash collector.

The belongings all are ruined after basements flooded Monday night.

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"We lost a lot of stuff, and, you know, we're going to have to replace it. I don't know about my furnace yet or my hot water heater. My washer and dryer are both dead. The dehumidifier is gone. The vacuum cleaner is gone. So, it's pretty tough," said Bob Lipson.

On Wednesday, many neighbors such as Lipson were not asking each other if they have damage -- they were asking how much.

Watch: Metro Detroit flood victims left with emotional cleanup

That's because almost every single house in the neighborhood has water damage. The smell of mildew lingers in many basements.

Lipson knows it could have been much worse.

"I gotta tell you the truth, you hear stories of people living in Oklahoma, people living in Kansas, and they get houses destroyed. We don't have that. I mean, yeah this is tough right now but it's nothing compared to what they had. We got to keep reminding ourselves of that. We're a little spoiled here. We have pretty good weather, generally speaking," he said.

The clean-up could take up to several weeks. Just getting the restoration professionals out is proving to be difficult. They're overwhelmed with calls.

Lipson is going to do what he can until crews can get to his house.

"I still got a third of the way to go yet to get my stuff out of the basement. But, we'll survive," he said.

Read: Historic rain event slams metro Detroit
Help: Red Cross opens emergency shelter for flooding victims

Here are more photos of the flood-damaged items lining the curb on Lipson's Huntington Woods street: