Detroit residents brace for more flooding in west side neighborhood

Flooding plagues west side neighborhood in Detroit

Residents of Vaughan Street are battling flooding and are bracing for more with tonight's expected strong storms.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - As we brace for another round of rain tonight, neighbors on the city's west side are already dealing with water woes.

The backstory:

Residents on Vaughan street are fearful of what’s to come. Their street is already flooded and residents say it's been an issue for years. 

And the expected heavy storms overnight could take the situation from bad to worse.

They say the city was out to remove lead pipes, but their main concern is getting rid of this water.

"It’s a mess. Look, and then they’re fixing the water," said Jajuan Williams. "You know, we got mud everywhere. the sidewalks are tore up and it’s just a mess."

Vaughan Street near Joy Road has looked like this for a week, water filled the street, from curb to curb.

Williams is not the only one on the block who’s fed up with it.

Diane Powe is a resident of the street since 1986.

"It’s a mess. That’s all I could say. It’s a mess and every big, heavy storm we flood," Powe said.

She says some homeowners have a hard time getting in and out of their driveways.

Some have gotten their tires stuck in potholes - and other drivers, she says, don’t even chance it.  

"We should not have to live like this," Powe said. "So you know, depending on how low your car is, you can’t come on this area right here. You've got to park up the street."

neighbors say it’s been like this, flooding on and off, for years.

"I know last year in january we had, it was snowing and everything and we had the water main break and we had a lot of water down there that just froze up completely," Williams said. "And every time it rains, it seems like it just backs up.

"You know, they’ll come out here and they’ll fix it and everything. But it just happens when we get a lot of rain."

Neighbors say they’ve called the city’s water and sewerage department and filed  complaints.

In response sometimes they see city workers come out - but they say the problem is never fixed.

And that’s their goal, a permanent solution. Something they hope to see soon before more rain comes in.

"We know the city has bad drains and other streets are flooded but we need something done out here because this is ridiculous," Powe said.

FOX 2 reached out to the city and they provided this response:

"Street flooding was reported on the 8400 block of Vaughan this morning. The issue was investigated and a crew will be out tomorrow to clean the catch basins.

"As the rainy season begins, we remind and encourage residents to do their part and clear catch basins on their block of leaves, grass and other debris to reduce street flooding.

"DWSD will do our part and clean out clogged catch basins. residents should report clogged catch basins to DWSD on the Improve Detroit app or 313-267-8000."