Berkley Homes Flooded During Storm, Residents Asked To Report Damages To City

BERKLEY (WWJ) - Residents in Berkley who experienced flooding in their homes following heavy downpours earlier this week are being asked to speak up.

City officials are asking residents for help in determining how many houses had flooding as a result of the storm. Approximately two inches of rain fell in a two hour time frame -- the same amount of rainfall is typically seen over a four week period.

Several homeowners near Coolidge and Catalpa reported flooding in their basements. Couches and other items were put along the road as garbage.

Residents who experienced flooding are asked to send an email to rainevent2017@berkleymich.net and provide the address where the damaged occurred and the approximate amount of water that entered their home.

Homeowners who experienced flooding or backups should contact their insurance company for assistance and direction.

Berkley officials say the initial analysis is the sewer system performed as designed, but it was overwhelmed by the massive amount of rain in a short period of time.

Meantime, crews are continuing to clear debris from the storm. Restricted covers are in place on many catch basins to regulate the water flow into our combined sewer system. Residents are asked not to remove or dislodge these covers as it may cause additional issues for the system.

The City Council will hold a special meeting on Thursday, September 7 to discuss the flooding along with infrastructure concerns and the regional response.