Pontiac residents return to apartment complex after water main break leads to evacuation

Roughly 360 residents at an apartment building in Pontiac, Michigan, are returning home less than 24 hours after a water main break on Tuesday night forced them to evacuate.

The city says cold temperatures were the cause of the break at Carriage Place Apartments.

The Pontiac Housing Commission says the water main break also came with a heating system failure. Residents couldn't stay there overnight because the water, heat and electricity had to be shut off for safety concerns. It was a big challenge for Jackie Williams, who lives on an upper floor and cannot walk.

"I had to crawl down the stairs to get to the bottom because I couldn't take no elevator because they turned it off. So if it's an emergency and the elevators don't work, I'm hit. I have to crawl," said Williams.

Pontiac Mayor Mike McGuinness said first responders prioritized helping older residents and people with mobility challenges get out. The church next door provided immediate shelter before the city moved residents to hotel rooms.

"Because so many people stepped up and helped, we were able to provide some quick solutions to some really unfortunate surprises," said McGuinness.

One resident said she was in the dark about what was going on.

"Got here yesterday around 7 pm, and when I say everything was pitch black, it was pitch black. I didn't know anything. All they said was go over to the church," said Kira Searcy.

Searcy said it didn't come as a surprise either.

"They got all this money to fix the building, and they didn't fix nothing. We're staying in low-income, they treat us like low-income. They're going to want their rent on the first," she said.

When asked what the city is doing to prevent something like this from happening again, McGuinness said, "Well, we at the city make sure we proactively inspect and ensure the safety and wellbeing of all of our buildings. So, we're going to keep trying to make sure everyone is safe, everyone is warm, and everyone has a roof over their head that they can rely on."

State Rep. Brenda Carter also posted that she's told the Michigan State Housing Development Authority about the water main break, so the department can follow up at the state level.

The Pontiac Housing Commission issued the following statement to CBS News Detroit:

PHC and Lighthouse are deeply concerned about the maintenance emergency that occurred yesterday at our community, which required the temporary evacuation of residents after multiple pipes burst and the building's heating system failed. Our foremost priority now and always is the safety, comfort, and dignity of every resident who calls this community home.

The incident was caused watermain break due to some recent cold temperatures.  When the pipes ruptured and temperatures inside the building dropped, our team acted immediately to evacuate residents and prevent anyone from being placed at risk, by immediately working with our hospitality partners to ensure that we had reasonable accommodations available for every single resident that required the accommodation.

We want our residents to know that we understand how disruptive and stressful this situation can be. We care deeply about the families, seniors, and individuals who live here, and we are committed to supporting them through this temporary displacement. Because of this unplanned emergency, residents relocated temporarily for the night to local hotels and this morning with Fire Marshall approval allow residents to return to their units.  Emergency contractors, plumbers, electricians, and HVAC specialists were onsite, and repairs are underway to resolve the issue.

We are grateful for the patience and cooperation shown by our residents during this emergency. We are equally appreciative of the first responders, KMG management, Woodside Bible Church and service teams who assisted with the evacuation and stabilization efforts. Special thanks to Council Members Carrington, Regina Campbell, Chris Jackson and Council President Austin, Council, and the entire PHC & Lighthouse team for personally checking in every resident at the hotel locations and very gracious for the support of M1 mobility for providing transportation for our residents as well during this time. Complete team effort!!

We will continue to communicate updates promptly and transparently as work progresses.

Ownership remains fully engaged, fully accountable, and fully dedicated to the wellbeing of this community.

-Ahmad Taylor, Pontiac Housing Commission Executive Director