More than a year after storms and tornadoes ripped through Michigan , knocking out power for thousands, flooding freeways and leading to deaths and injuries, the federal government has granted $460.8 million in disaster recovery and prevention funds to the state, Wayne County and Detroit.
Detroit could use its share from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) — about $346.8 million — to fix old alley drains and sewer lines that have led to basement backups, and build flood-resilient affordable housing, city officials announced on Wednesday. The grant is “historic,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Wednesday during a news conference.
“We’ve got a sewer system built to handle 4 inches of rain in a 24 hour period, which was great through the 20th century. We’ve now had two incidents where it’s been 5½ and 6 inches of rain, and what happens then is the basements in this city back up, and it is devastating to go downstairs and find 3 or 4 feet of raw sewage in your basement, lose your furnace, lose your dryer, lose your belongings,” Duggan said, alongside local and federal officials…