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Detroit Woman Concerned By Residue Left By Flood

(CBS DETROIT) – If you take a stroll down Neff on Detroit's east side, you'll see the street is littered with bulk trash as residents continue their clean-up efforts following weekend floods.

"How do people even clean this up? I don't know. It's weird," said Paris Patterson, a resident on the block trying to salvage as much as she can.

"I opened the basement door and I could just hear the, hear the, just water splashing," said Patterson.

The expecting mother says the boxes floating in her basement are her source of income.

"I was doing my best not to stress too much because I'm pregnant and you can't stress when you're pregnant," she said.

The 27-year-old says at the start of the pandemic she launched an at-home business called 'She Explore,' a natural skin care and soy candle line.

Just when she was getting her feet wet as an entrepreneur, the materials she uses to create her products were ruined when floodwaters took over her basement.

"All the product was down here, literally. Now I have to start all the way over. Rebuild my business. Obtain the business insurance that I needed to obtain now that I know what could possibly happen," said Patterson.

But her business isn't her only concern.

Patterson says once the water drained out she was left with an unknown grimy residue on her basement walls and floor.

"Just even here standing here right now I'm uncomfortable. You know and knowing that mold and mildew and then the fumes can possibly harm me and my unborn child is nerve-wracking, you know I have to breathe in these fumes," she said.

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is now working with residents affected by the flood.

Damage claims can be made online here or by calling 313-267-8000.

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