Neighbors frustrated following water main break that flooded their homes

A fiery meeting was held in Grand Rapids on Tuesday as several homeowners expressed frustration at the city.

They're accusing the city of wiping their hands clean after a water main break flooded their homes more than two months ago.

FOX 17

"Those pipes say the city of Grand Rapids. Those are your pipes that flooded our homes," Larry Gibbs, whose home was flooded, said.

Gibbs spoke in front of city leaders about how he's stuck dealing with an issue he didn't create.

"This is not right, and you need to actually come and help us out, because we didn't ask for this," Gibbs added.

More than two months ago many who live around Philadelphia Avenue and the impacted area dealt with several feet of water inside their homes.

FOX 17

"The surge of water ran through our garage, our driveway, our front yard, our backyard, and most importantly to us, our finished basement, including our carpeted family room with television and stereo and our guest bedroom where our children and grandchildren stay," Jane Griffioen, whose home was flooded, said.

On Monday, FOX 17 learned that the city sent letters to the affected people, citing immunity on the issue, to close their claims.

Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids says the city will not pay for water damage caused by water break

Daren Bower

The letter didn't sit well with Griffioen, who has lived here for 65 years.

"My dear city of Grand Rapids, I want to ask you: Is your conscience immune?" Griffioen said. "The city rejecting this claim is not only unbelievable but it's unacceptable."

Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington adds that this may be the end of the road for these homeowners' claims, but it is not the end of the matter.

"I am certain we will do more than just sending a claim-denial letter to help our residents," Washington said.

FOX 17

Washington says he can expect potential litigation on the matter.

"We've gone through the administrative claims process; the next process would allow them to get some type of representation and see if we can come to some type of agreement," Washington.

While these homeowners weigh out their options, they're left looking at bills to fix the problem.

"Professional estimates of our damage equals over $25,000," Griffioen said.

"It's going to cost me 80 to $70,000 for stabilizers on my house to stop it from sinking," Gibbs told city leaders.

FOX 17

Washington says they're looking to connect people recovering from this flood with resources.

"There could be some community assistance from programs that already exist, or creatively finding ways to help this neighborhood recover. So, yes, we are looking into that," Washington said.

The city manager expressed that they wanted to hold meetings between the people impacted and the city. He didn't provide dates.

Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube