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Livonia Basement Flooding; How can you help? May 27, 2011
Topic Started: May 27 2011, 03:47 PM (3,167 Views)
Administrator
Administrator
The severe rain Wednesday and Thursday has caused significant flooding in Livonia, especially in basements.

I received this email from LJAL. I thought I would pass it along if anyone can help....

Hello LJAL Families,

The LJAL has been contacted by the City of Livonia who is attempting to find volunteers who can help some of the senior citizens in town who have experienced flooding in their basements. If anyone is interested, they can call the Mayor's office at 734.466.2201 to help. All instructions will be delivered through his office.

Thank you in advance for anwsering this call for action.

Your LJAL Directors

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For4
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More details: They are setting up a hotline at the senior center for the seniors/or disabled to call in for assistance. When you call the Mayor's office, they will take your name and number and when you might be available.
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Administrator
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Please pass the information along on your Facebook and other networks you may have.
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Livonia schedules special pickups Saturday and Sunday for water-damaged items
Written by
Ken Abramczyk

Livonia
More than 900 residents have called the city complaining of flooding.

That number may go up Friday as residents continue to clean up basements flooded by the estimated four inches of rain that pelted the city Wednesday, but the water is slowly receding today and should result in basements draining.

The city’s refuse site on Glendale east of Farmington is open today (Friday) until 8 p.m. and from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Saturday.

Brian Wilson, superintendent of the Department of Public Services, said fleets of trucks from Waste Management will be driving on residential streets Saturday and Sunday to begin the cleanup process.

“That is likely to take several days,” Wilson said. There will not be pickups on Monday due to the Memorial Day holiday; the trash pickup will resume on Tuesday.


Water-damaged items, such as furniture and carpeting, can be placed at the curb.


Mayor Jack Kirksey said late Thursday he expected to schedule a town hall meeting soon with residents to discuss reasons the flooding occurred and hear concerns from residents.


Kirksey said Wednesday’s rain was the heaviest rain he has seen since he moved to Livonia in 1958.


“I’ve been here a long time, and it is just a phenomenal amount of water that has created a lot of problems for many of our residents,” Kirksey said.


Kevin Maillard, the Department of Public Works director for the city of Livonia, said the footing drains on homes in Livonia “aren’t built for this kind of a storm.”


While flooding was sporadic throughout the city, much of it was concentrated between Schoolcraft and Five Mile roads.


“It’s been a horrible kind of experience for residents,” Kirksey said. “There is nothing more discouraging than to spend thousands of dollars refurbishing your basement, then you have to remove the drywall and do things to remove the mold.”
Kirksey added: “Our hearts go out to individuals who are experiencing flooding.”


Residents can file a claim through the city’s Department of Public Works or by going online. Claims will only be settled if an obstruction, such as tree roots or leaves, is found in the storm sewer blocking the storm flow, Kirksey said.


“If the catch basin is clear and the sewers are clear, the claims are not honored,” Kirksey said.


Kirksey said additional staff at city hall will be processing the claims.
For more information and updates, visit http://www.ci.livonia.mi.us/.

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20110527/NEWS10/110527007/1027/rss18
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Administrator
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More than 600 file flood complaints in Livonia
Written by
Ken Abramczyk


More than 600 residents have filed complaints with the city about flooding and storm drainage issues due to Wednesday’s rains that pelted the area.

Kevin Maillard, the Department of Public Works director for the city of Livonia, said the footing drains on homes in Livonia “aren’t built for this kind of a storm.”

“This is more rain than I’ve ever seen in my life,” Maillard said. “I don’t remember anything like this, and I’ve been in Michigan 57 years.”

Maillard said most of the complaints are about flooding. Maillard said the Department of Public Works office worked until midnight, and the calls had backed up so much that about 100 residents were in line when the office opened earlier today to pick up claim forms.

The city of Livonia issued an advisory today stating that “the storm system has been slowly catching up and water levels are slowly dropping,” but additional rainfall today “will cause further problems.”


The city has asked residents to limit water usage and to avoid doing laundry or running the dishwasher.


Water-damaged items can be placed at the curb. Special pickups are being arranged for the coming days and it is not necessary to call for trash collection.
To report a flooded street or to report a flooded basement and receive information, contact the Livonia DPW at (734) 466-2655.


http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20110526/NEWS10/110526015/1027/rss18
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Administrator
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Flood Insurance May Leave You High and Dry

By Russ Harding | 5/25/2011 3:10 PM



Property owners in the state may be in for an expensive surprise due to a federal government initiative they have probably never heard of, called the National Flood Insurance Program Map Modernization Initiative. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and county floodplain managers, are developing new floodplain maps.

If the community you live in is participating in the NFIP and if the map indicates that your property is located in a floodplain, expect to pay hundreds of dollars more per year for insurance if you have a federally insured mortgage. As with many government programs you have no choice as your lender will require the insurance.

The FEMA maps are supposed to indicate if your property is in a 100-year floodplain (a flood so severe that it occurs on average only once in 100 years). The problem is that the maps are usually constructed by a technician sitting in an office and looking at a contour map. For floodplain maps to be accurate they should be checked in the field.

A federal government that has spent itself broke is looking for more revenue; requiring more people to buy flood insurance seems like an easy way to generate more money for the government.

Property owners who believe their land has been inaccurately included in a floodplain will have to hire a licensed professional surveyor or engineer to accurately locate your property on the map and do an elevation survey. It’s not cheap, but will most likely save the property owner money in the long run compared to years of paying for flood insurance. It is important that property owners look out after their own interests as they should not rely on the government to have their best interest in mind.

http://www.mackinac.org/15093
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Administrator
Administrator
City Website......
http://www.ci.livonia.mi.us/Home/tabid/38/Default.aspx

BASEMENT FLOODING

Senior Citizens
The City of Livonia is attempting to assist their senior citizens who have experienced flooded basements as a result of the recent heavy rainfall. Livonia senior citizens and those who are physically unable and do not have an extended family, neighbors, or anyone to help them with their storm-water flooded basement and do not have the financial resources to hire a private contractor, should call the City at (734) 466-2552 and leave their name, phone number and address. City Officials are recruiting volunteers to assist as many needy seniors as possible in the next few days. Because it is a holiday weekend, not everyone calling in will receive the help needed in the next 48 hours. Those that can’t get this assistance during the long weekend will be contacted on Tuesday, May 31st.

The service that will be offered will consist of carrying out damaged goods and wet carpeting from basements that have been cleared of standing water.

Mayor Jack Kirksey said, “This effort to connect seniors in need with citizen volunteers may not work 100% of the time, but we want to do what we can to help.”

Shower Facilities
The Livonia Recreation Center will be available for those residents that are not able to use their own bathroom facilities (ie: showers, toilets, etc.). Residents are required to provide their own towels and photo ID. Please call (734) 466-2900 for the center's hours of operation.

Extended Phone Hours at Public Works
The phone lines will be open at the Department of Public Works on Saturday, May 28, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. until approximately 1:00 p.m. for those experiencing problems with flooded basements.

Public Forum
The City of Livonia will be hosting a public forum to provide information and answer questions of homeowners with flooded basements on Thursday, June 2, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. at Livonia City Hall Auditorium.
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The schools exist to educate, not employ.
Check with your homeowners insurance.

While most "flood damage" is excluded, there can be coverage for "sewer and drain backup".

Usually you have to purchase this through endorsement, and not all companys will even sell it. But this is definatley worth looking into. If you don't have it, consider purchasing it for the future.
“Child Abuse” means different things to different people....
----Randy Liepa 8/9/12
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Ava
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So what? Who cares?
Mayor Kirksey talks about the flooding in Livonia:

http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/28101368/index.html

Livonia To Hold Public Hearing On Flooding
Tonight at 7:30 p.m. City Hall


On Thursday, the city of Livonia will hold a public hearing to address the complaints of more than 600 residents who have filed complaints with the city about flooding and storm drainage issues due to recent heavy rains.

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Town hall topic: flooded basements
6:09 AM, Jun. 2, 2011 |
3 Comments

Written by
Karen Smith

Livonia residents will have a chance tonight to hear what the city did before, during and after last week's storm, which flooded more than 1,000 basements.

Mayor Jack Kirksey and city department heads will hold a town hall meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Livonia City Hall auditorium to share factual information and dispel rumors that the city did something wrong.

“There are all kinds of rumors about valves being shut down,” Kirksey said Tuesday. “There is not any truth to the rumors being circulated.”

He said the city did everything it could in an emergency situation.

The torrential rains of historic proportions, which dropped 4.05 inches of rain on Livonia in 12 hours, flooded basements that hadn't had water in them in 50 to 60 years, he said. The flooding was regional across the tri-county area, not exclusive to Livonia.

Residents will be able to ask questions and tell the city what they think went wrong, Kirksey said. “We're trying to be transparent, give them a direct voice.”

There may be cases, the mayor said, where it can be documented that the city did not properly maintain a sewer or there was a defect in the system, causing a basement to flood. “We will pay a claim if we are at fault,” he said, adding every claim will be investigated.

But the city is not responsible for 1,000 basements flooding, he said.


‘AN ACT OF GOD'

Livonia DPW Director Kevin Maillard called the storm and resulting flooding an act of God. “Our system was working fine; it was a pure overload of the system; there was just no place to put it (all the water),” Maillard said.

When complaints of flooded basements started coming in May 25, the day of the storm, the city did the only thing it could, Maillard said. It diverted sewage into storm sewers that weren't surcharged to prevent it from backing up into people's basements. “Not every basement got sewage,” he said. Some got straight rain water because the footing drains couldn't handle the volume of water.

He said there were no blockages in Livonia's system.

After the storm, the city did more than other communities, Kirksey said. It sent everyone who called a claim form and notified them of the town hall meeting.

It also sent Waste Management trucks to pick up items damaged in the flooding. Those trucks criss-crossed the city for three days following the flooding, Kirksey said. This week, they will continue to pick up damaged items placed at the curb during regular trash pickup, delayed one day because of the Memorial Day holiday.

The city also formed a volunteer corps to help seniors who couldn't physically clear out their basements, don't have family members nearby to help and couldn't afford to pay someone to do it.

The Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority will investigate all damage claims filed with the city.

ksmith@hometownlife.com (313) 222-2098

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20110602/NEWS10/106020586/Livonia-town-hall-topic-flooded-basements?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage
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Anyone know what kind of help is needed? Has anyone already volunteered to know what is needed?
I support Global Warming cuz nothing grows in ice!
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Last Updated: June 03. 2011 2:42PM
Cities brace for onslaught of flood damage claims
Class-action lawsuits expected to be filed on homeowners' behalf
Francis X. Donnelly and Mike Wilkinson The Detroit News/ The Detroit News

Livonia— First came the flood. Now comes the deluge of damage claims.

If a Livonia town hall meeting Thursday night was any indication, Metro Detroit counties and municipalities will be swimming through insurance forms for months.

About 750 residents attended the three-hour meeting at Livonia City Hall to describe their problems with flooded basements, yards and streets, and learn how they could be compensated for them.

The overflow crowd stood in City Council chambers and others watched the proceedings from TV monitors in the atrium.

"I've lost everything," a tearful Patti Hughes said about her flooded basement. "What can be done for me?"

Storm damage, which spread far beyond Livonia's borders, has other municipalities bracing for a wave of damage claims, and possibly budget-sapping class-action lawsuits.

Lawyers have already signaled to Wayne County officials that they intend to file lawsuits because of the flooding.

Lavonda Jackson, head of Wayne County's environmental services group, said the county has been contacted by the Detroit firm of Macuga, Liddle and Dubin, which has filed several class-action lawsuits.

The suits contend that communities and the county have improperly designed or maintained area sewer systems, leading to backups and flooding.

"We plan to vigorously defend (the county)," Jackson said.

Court settlements have cost communities hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

Before a homeowner can win a claim, they must prove that, among other things, the sewage disposal system had a defect and that the government agency knew, or reasonably should have known, about the defect.

In Redford Township, more than 200 residents have reported basement flooding, said Supervisor Tracy Schultz Kobylarz.

She said the sewer system is working the way it's designed. The township received more than 3 inches of rain in less than two hours. It will be up to the insurance company if it honors any claims.

"When you have a force of nature that's the entire monthly rainfall in less than two hours, that's going to overwhelm any system," she said.

In Westland, public service director Kevin Buford said the city has received 60-80 calls about basement flooding in the northeast section of the city.

But he said the city system was working.

"Westland is not responsible for water backing up in anyone's basement," he said.

At the Livonia meeting, residents angry over damage to their homes sometimes interrupted the meeting with shouts or laughed derisively when city officials explained why they couldn't do more to contain the damage.

Resident Linda Nagy implored the city to help residents receive some type of tax break to help offset the cost of property damaged by the flooding.

"We need some type of help," she said. "I'm not afraid to ask for it."

Resident Tracey Roberts, whose basement near Five Mile Road and Merriman flooded with sewage, asked city officials why they didn't divert the sewage into the Rouge River so residents' homes could be spared.

But a city official said such a move would violate state environmental laws.

Roberts said the sewage ended up in the river anyway once she removed it from her home.

"So it still went into the Rouge but went through my home first," she said.

She also complained that, after spending most of the night cleaning her basement, she finally went to bed but was awakened at 2:45 a.m. by a city worker distributing flood claim forms

"I'm a military mom," she said. "You don't wake me up in the middle of the night. That was ridiculous."

fdonnelly@detnews.com

(313) 223-4186

Staff Writers Charles E. Ramirez and Candice Williams contributed.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110603/METRO/106030354/Cities-brace-for-onslaught-of-flood-damage-claims#ixzz1OP7jU2rz
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2nd flood meeting set for Tuesday
Jun 12, 2011 |

Written by
Ken Abramczyk

Residents who were unable to speak at a town hall meeting earlier this month on flooded basements can do so Tuesday.

A second town hall meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, at Livonia City Hall.

Like the previous meeting, city officials will discuss what transpired during the heavy rainstorms on May 25. Livonia received more than four inches of rain in a 12-hour period, according to Kevin Maillard, director of public works.

“It is an opportunity to reach out to individuals who didn't have an opportunity to speak,” Mayor Jack Kirksey said. noting that the first town hall drew such a large crowd that people were outside the auditorium in the atrium area of city hall. The crowd was estimated at 700 to 800 people and the meeting lasted about four hours.

Kirksey said there was no new information to share with residents about the storm itself, but that the city still encourages residents to file claims with the city. The city will not accept liability for any property losses unless the city is shown to be responsible for problems with the sewer system. The rains overwhelmed the system, not because there were problems in the system, he said.

Several homeowners are unable to clean up and sanitize their basements, Kirksey said. “The biggest frustration is they have legitimate needs for financial assistance, and we're not able to come up with funding,” Kirksey said.

Livonia will investigate claims filed with the city, and if the city is found to be at fault, risk management will work on the claims, Kirksey said. The city has 45 days to investigate the claims.

But communities cannot fund every claim that comes in even if the money were there. “When you start to fund claims where the city was not part of the causal factor, then there is no end to it,” Kirksey said.

Kirksey said Housing Director Jim Inglis was researching whether “very limited funding” may be available.

The city also worked this week to contact those who oversee Fannie Mae foreclosed homes or other unoccupied homes neighbors let the city know about, Kirksey said.

Kirksey was concerned some of these homes also flooded. “The water still potentially may be in the basement,” Kirksey said.

Kirksey again addressed rumors that the city somehow caused the flooding, by not “opening” a large sewer along Schoolcraft, a conspiracy with Wayne County, or not bypassing sewage sooner into the streams.

“We've never really seen this ability for rumors to be perpetuated on such a broad base and intensity,” Kirksey said.

Kirksey pointed out that other communities did not schedule meetings, have dialogue, organize volunteers and explain the situation to residents, like Livonia.

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20110612/NEWS10/106120498/2nd-flood-meeting-set-for-Tuesday?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Livonia|s
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http://www.ci.livonia.mi.us/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=czXQhpgYPG0%3d&tabid=1258

P U B L I C M E E T I N G
INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY
TRANSIT COMMITTEE
THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2011
7:00 P.M.
Livonia City Hall
2nd Floor Council Chambers

1. CR 44-99 Subject of a Storm Water Management Study – possible grant funding
available to the City through the Wayne County Department of Public Services. (CR
324-10 and CR 325-10)

2. CR 917-98 Subject of a local bus transportation system for the City of Livonia.
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