FRENCHTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A lakeside community in Frenchtown Township is on edge after the seawall collapsed due to a major storm last month.
Since then, homes up to 1,000 feet away have flooded. The seawall was was built in the 1970s and stood about 3 feet high. Now, it's a crumbled mess. A newer seawall was built eight years ago, but it's not nearly as high and wasn't a match for the powerful storm surge.
Video captured on April 15 shows the weight of the water leaving the seawall in shambles. Without a barrier, almost every Grand Beach home and property flooded.
Neighbors are once again cleaning up and throwing away possessions after last week's heavy storm.
Lake Erie wasn't always so close to the lakefront properties. Neighbors said back in 2010, when the newer seawall was built, there was a beach that extended about 30 feet and the water was about 3 feet lower.
Homeowners said the flood damage will cost them thousands of dollars in restoration costs. Repairing the seawall alone could top $20,000.
According to the township's flood-control ordinance, maintaining the seawall is the homeowners' responsibility.
Residents said since the waters of Lake Erie have risen and the buffer of a beach is no longer there, the township should step in.
You can watch Priya Mann's full story in the video posted above.