GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — This Friday marks six months since many homes in Grand Rapids faced flooding from a significant water main break.
Stephanie and Scott Hall are still rebuilding their basement after water gushed inside back in June. The window where it broke in to is still there, and the wall that held it back leans slightly from where it once was.
“We've kind of pieced our basement back together as best we can,” Scott said.
Scott has been putting in expanding foam to help seal the cracks where the wall buckled from the pressure of the water.
“Really depressing, frankly, because you're wondering if the foam is what's holding your wall,” Scott added.
The insulation that once held in heat down in the basement is now gone.
“It's going to get super cold tonight. Heating bills are going to go through the roof,” Scott said.
The cold temps are a concern they now have to deal with.
“So now we're going to freeze-thaw, freeze-thaw all winter long, and you don't know what's coming next,” Scott said. “What's it going to do to our foundation?” Stephanie added.
The Hall family has a space heater in the basement to keep warm air downstairs.
“Hoping your pipes don't freeze as it gets down to, what, 10 degrees tonight,” Scott added. “We see what happens to our roads when we get a moisture underneath. Quick freezes, and the roads start crumbling. Well, this is made out of the same thing the roads are made out of.”
The Halls explained they spent about $30,000 out of pocket since insurance didn’t cover the situation. There was also a need to redo the electrical to meet the code. In August, they told FOX 17 they were without a furnace. The couple showcased their new one, noting the previous one was only a year old.
“Insurance isn't covering that because the city caused it,” Scott said.
HOW WE GOT HERE:
Residents near Philadelphia Avenue and Adams Street in Grand Rapids woke up to find a water main break in their neighborhood. Unfortunately, many of those affected experienced several feet of water inside their homes.
Grand Rapids officials told the people in the affected area to file a claim with the city.
The Hall family was one of them, and they followed the steps laid out by the city.
Two months later, officials informed them and others of immunity on the issue, and their claims were then closed.
“You have the stress of this being unresolved for all this time,” Stephanie said. “We had no idea that it would drag out this long.”
The Halls say they don't have any pending litigation against the city right now. They do say they aren't giving up on this fight.
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