Council chair says city providing hotels, vans after Southwest Detroit water-main break flooded more than 150 homes

The Detroit City Council’s Public Health & Safety committee heard emergency notices from Chair Gabriela Santiago Romero on a water-main break that flooded a Southwest Detroit neighborhood overnight, affecting “over 150 homes” and sending water into basements and, in some cases, up to the first floor.

“The city has turned off the water valve. The water should be rescinding,” Chair Gabriela Santiago Romero said during opening remarks. She said the city has vans and staff in the neighborhood transporting families and children to Patton Park and that the city is providing hotel rooms for families who have lost heat or power. She gave a resource number for people seeking assistance (313-224-2450) and said the administration will coordinate hotel placements and other short-term needs.

Why it matters: Residents described immediate housing and safety needs during near-freezing conditions. Committee members and multiple callers pressed the council for faster, broader housing responses and asked that ARPA and other funds be routed for emergency shelter.

Public-commenters who raised the issue urged longer-term protections and more consistent sheltering. One caller, Tahira Ahmad, demanded that “everybody who needs housing for any reason be given hotel rooms immediately during the wintertime” and asked that ARPA funds and the Progress Fund be used for emergency placements. Rick Shelton, another caller, said the city must use its various funding streams to address an estimated 9,000 people identified as homeless and asked for more transparency on shelter conditions.

Council response and next steps: Chair Santiago Romero said the city system for hotel placements was active but busy and encouraged residents to call 313-774-5261 for immediate placement help; her office also offered direct assistance via 313-224-2450. She announced an administration press conference and said she would be going into the neighborhood to do door-to-door outreach.

Committee context: The chair opened the meeting by noting the water emergency and then moved into the scheduled agenda, but allowed public commenters who had traveled to the meeting and callers online to speak about the break and homelessness-related needs. Several callers tied the flooding to broader concerns about shelter, Transit and the city’s use of ARPA and bond funds.

Ending: The committee did not take a formal vote on policy changes during the meeting related to the flooding; members requested follow-up from city departments and emphasized coordination with emergency housing and water departments to track placements and reimbursements for families forced from homes.