News

Jan 16, 2024

Grosse Pointe area residents clean up damage as severe storm threat continues

GROSSE POINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — The cities of Grosse Pointe and Grosse Pointe Farms are warning neighbors of potential flooding Friday night into Saturday morning. The city of Grosse Pointe sent a

GROSSE POINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — The cities of Grosse Pointe and Grosse Pointe Farms are warning neighbors of potential flooding Friday night into Saturday morning.

The city of Grosse Pointe sent a release Friday afternoon alerting residents that a pump station that lost power during a storm Wednesday is still without power. There is also a pump station in Grosse Pointe Farms that lost power.

Officials say while the stations are running on generator power, the generators are struggling to keep up with the recent downpours. As a result, they’re warning homeowners to keep valuables off the floor in basements in case of flooding.

Meantime, residents are still working to clean up the mess left behind by the storm and waiting to gain power themselves.

Friday afternoon, DTE Energy crews covered neighborhoods near Moross Road and Kercheval Avenue, where people were without power.

Laura Monahan says she was didn’t expect the storm to be so severe. Friday afternoon, her home was covered in caution tape and downed trees.

“The wind was just swirling. I had the windshield wipers going. It felt like I was in a vortex,” Monahan said as she described Wednesday’s storm.

Monahan says she was on her back home when the storm hit. She says she came home to about six trees down in her yard, including an older tree in her backyard that was uprooted.

“I was screaming when I saw this, just like, ‘Oh no, no.’ It was all over our driveway. I couldn’t get in. I had to go over the fence. All the lines were down and then I saw our backyard and that was shocking,” Monahan said.

Monahan estimates at least six trees are down on her property.

In addition to damage to homes, several neighbors reported losing cars to downed trees.

According to the DTE website, 95% of customers should expect their power to be restored by Friday evening. However, as of 6 p.m. Friday, many Grosse Pointe neighbors reported still being without power during one of the hottest stretches of summer weather this year.

“It’s been a little challenging, but it’s nothing crazy. It’s just leaving the windows open to get some fresh air, and living out of a cooler,” said Patrick Bierkle, who’s been without power since Wednesday.

Bierkle says his family was lucky to walk away with zero damage to their home. He says only a neighbor’s tree covered their driveway following the storm. Bierkle says he’s grateful no one was hurt.

“Small inconvenience but a little adventure,” he added.