Farmington Hills Apartments Flooded With Raw Sewage

FARMINGTON HILLS (WWJ) - A stinky mess is being cleaned up in Farmington Hills after a raw sewage back up flooded out an apartment complex.

Tenants were forced to leave their homes at the Cedar Ridge Apartments, near Grand River Avenue and Middle Belt Road, Monday night after the sewer water began flooding the building.

"It smells like poop," said resident Chevonne Brown.

The water seeped into as many as 20 lower-floor units, with some tenants reporting two inches of water in the hallways.

Adam Novasell said it was like a scene from a movie.

"It was backing up from the sinks and whatnot from the bathtub, the dishwasher. It didn't look good," he said. "You know, there's a lot of people going back and forth to the dumpsters. Not a happy situation."

Cleanup crews spent the day Tuesday hauling out flooring and other debris as residents tried to salvage belongings still undamaged.

An exact cause is still being sought, but officials say an obstruction in the system is the culprit for the flooding. The backup has since been fixed, but the cleanup is only beginning.

Tiffany Williams, who lives on the top floor, said she's suffering even though the water never reached her apartment.

"It just smells like trash and anything that you can think of that's, you know, toilet stuff," she said. "Yeah, it still smells today. I'm not even on the bottom floor and it reeks."

Residents have not yet been told an estimate as to when they will be allowed back into their homes.

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