Hotels arranged for Pontiac apartment residents evacuated amid water main break
Temporary housing has been arranged for residents of an apartment building in Pontiac, Michigan, who were forced to evacuate Tuesday morning because of a water main break.
The disruption happened at Carriage Place Apartments on Carriage Circle, an apartment complex that was built in 1968 and renovated in 2022. The building is under the jurisdiction of the Pontiac Housing Commission. There is a total of 234 units in the complex, ranging from studio to two-bedroom apartments.
While Carriage Place is considered open to families and singles, city officials said many of those who had to evacuate are elderly.
The circumstances involved multiple pipe bursts at the building fed by the recent cold temperatures, said Ahmad Taylor, executive director of the Pontiac Housing Commission. City officials said electricity and gas were shut off at the complex because of the emergency circumstances.
"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," Taylor said. "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."
Temporary shelter was provided at the nearby Woodside Bible Church while arrangements were made as needed for hotels and transportation. By Tuesday night, Pontiac Mayor Mike McGuiness said all of the displaced residents had been set up with hotel space. The Pontiac Community Foundation and M1 Mobility were among those assisting with logistics.
In the meantime, Taylor said, emergency contractors including plumbers, electricians and HVAC specialists are working on repairs to the building.
The above video originally aired on Feb. 24, 2026.
