Clean up crews are working around the clock to clear debris from parts of Michigan that were devastated by recent heavy rains and flooding. In many neighborhoods, piles of water-damaged furniture, carpets and other house hold items that could not be salvaged line the streets.
As trucks attempt to clear the tons of garbage left in front of homes, many reinforcements have been called in. The city of Warren has already spent $100,000 in overtime costs to deal with the damage left by the storm.
Many basements experienced severe flood damage, with some that had water up to the ceiling. As a place that doesn’t typically receive this kind of rain or flooding, many residents were not prepared for the amount of water that invaded their homes, and many are facing thousands of dollars in repairs and damaged property.
The large amounts of water-logged debris also raise another concern. Mold thrives on wet furniture and carpets, and many neighborhoods now exhibit a foul smell from mold that has overtaken the piles of garbage in people’s front yards.
Mold is also common in basements that have experienced water damage or have excess moisture and can cause moderate to severe health problems if left untreated.
Wayne county, among the areas that was hit the hardest, had an estimated $340 million dollars in flood damage. Tim McGillvary, the Wayne County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director, hopes that they will receive federal funding to help in clean up efforts and damaged property. Crews have been working tirelessly to gather estimates of damage from local communities in hopes of receiving help as soon as possible.
In the meantime, locals continue to rip damaged material from their basements and attempt to salvage any property not completely destroyed by the storm. Residents are encouraged to keep track of and take pictures of damaged property for insurance purposes. Damage assessment reports can be sent to local governments.