'A total mess': Multiple Detroit blocks frozen after water main breaks flood streets
Detroit street flooded, frozen after water main break
Laing near Britain on Detroit's east side is covered in ice and water that hasn't yet frozen due to a water main break. It is not the only street flooded, either.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Multiple streets in Detroit are icy messes after water main breaks flooded the roads and quickly froze.
Dipping temperatures and aging infrastructure are to blame for what many Detroit residents will be waking up to on Tuesday.
Multiple Detroit streets become sheets of ice after water main breaks
Bringard near Barlow in Detroit is a sheet of ice after a water main. The director of the city's water department said multiple water main breaks have been reported around the city due to cold temperatures and shifting earth.
What we know:
People on Laing near Britain, not far from Morang, have reportedly been complaining about the water main break since Monday, and 911 dispatchers have fielded calls about vehicles stuck in the ice and water.
"A total mess. A lot of snow and slush and just water," one man said. "I can't even back my car out."
Laing Street
A tow truck was seen removing a stuck vehicle, while another person drove on lawns to get out of their driveway. This flooding appears to span several blocks beyond the initially hit area.
Another water main break flooded about ⅔ of Bringard near Barlow, which is south of Eight Mile before freezing.
Bringard
A Detroit police cruiser appeared to be stuck in the slush from that break.
Also on the east side, a water main break with less severe flooding was reported on Dequindre near State Fair.
Dequindre
What's next:
Gary Brown, the director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, said he is aware of what happened. Brown, who spoke to FOX 2 at the Laing Street water main break, said crews would be headed out to fix it shortly.
"They're mobilizing right now," he said, adding that he is thankful for the crews working in these extreme temperatures.
Brown said Department of Public Works employees will first get the water that is in the street to go down before his crews get to work fixing the main.
Dozens of water main breaks reported in Detroit
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is going to be busy Tuesday, handling dozens of water main breaks around the city. Department director Gary Brown said a historic deep freeze is leading to a high number of breaks all at once.
"The main thing to do here is get the street clear, get the water to go down, and then we can start making the repair," he said, adding that the city prioritizes residents without water. No one is without water as of Monday night, he said. "We've got a couple dozen water main breaks citywide."
If that water status has changed since then, the department will reprioritize the order of repairs. He asked for residents to be patient.
Brown noted that temperatures and shifting ground have led to dozens of main breaks around the city. He called the deep freeze that has led to these breaks historic.