Grosse Pointe Farms Flood Investigation Continues, 502 Claims Pending

The investigation of the September inland district flooding is still underway and officials are to review the recommendations and related cost estimates next week found by engineers who studied the pump station.

Farms City Manager Shane Reeside gave a brief update to council Monday, highlighting that the study was delivered quickly. The deadline for the engineers was originally four to six weeks, he said, but the results are back at four weeks and ready for review.

Earlier in the day, Reeside said the Farms is still gathering all of the appropriate information from third parties in the flood investigation. The 45-day filing window recently passed and all of the claims are pending as officials continue working to determine the exact cause, he said.

The Farms sent a letter to residents a few weeks before the deadline to remind them to file, Reeside said, noting the filing preserves a resident's legal rights.

A total of 502 damage claims have been filed with the city's insurance carrier stemming from , which is more than double the 243 claims filed related to , according to Reeside.

The . At the time, officials said the flooding was the result of repeated power outages by DTE to the pump station in addition to what they called a hundred-year storm.

A in Wayne Circuit Court related to the May floods and the denied claims. The class is seeking financial compensation for their loss.

The attorney representing the class, Peter Macuga, recently told Patch his firm is gearing up to file a second class-action lawsuit againt the city related to the September floods. He is waiting for a second 45-day window to pass in order to file the second suit, which will also represent about 200 families.

Macuga expects that the damage claims filed by the residents will again be denied but Reeside said determining the cause of the floods determines whether such claims should be covered.

Monday's update to council is part of the on-going effort officials promised residents during .  Many residents voiced concerns about the lack of communication by city employees and council to the residents who were impacted by the floods--many of whom flooded twice and some even three times in less than six months.

The September flooding incited anger and frustration by residents who felt little to nothing had been done following the May floods, which essentially allowed for the September flood to happen.

Since the May floods, officials have been installing restricted sewer covers to decrease the diluge of water that could overwhelm the system in a heavy downpour. An employee is also stationed at the pump station round-the-clock until Farms officials are satisfied it will operate without problem.

The flooding impacted one area of the city, which is serviced with the city's only remaining combined sewer and storm water removal system, known as the inland district. In addition to losing possessions, many residents had only recently refinished their basements following the May floods when the September backup began.

Adding to the frustration, many were told their home owners insurance would sky-rocket in cost or result in cancellation if they filed a second claim within such a short time frame.

The next step in the investigation is to review the results of the engineering team who studied the system, the pump station and its service to the inland district, which Reeside said would happen next week.