DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Great Lakes Water Authority shared a photo of the new section of pipe that arrived Thursday to replace the broken section of water main in southwest Detroit.
It's a major step forward in this week's ongoing saga as residents continue to cope. The main broke Monday and led to the flooding of hundreds of basements.
Related video: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan urges residents impacted by water main break to get homes inspected
Over at the Patton Recreation Center, Juan Hernandez went looking for help for him, his wife and their daughter.
"He was able to get some clothes and some blankets... that he lost so that he can shower, and he got some cases of water and some fresh fruit for his daughter," Hernandez told 7 News Detroit with the help of a translator.
Idalis Longeria, who was kind enough to translate for us, also guided Hernandez on getting on the list to have his home assessed by a city inspector. At the recreation center, you'll find a mix of people searching for a helping hand and people willing to give it.
Nyasia Valdez, who also lives in southwest Detroit, is working to bridge the gap between those impacted and available resources. While the city offered hotel lodging to impacted residents, Valdez understands the concerns of those choosing to tough it out at home.
"People that stayed, they're worried about immigration. They're worried about theft. They're also worried about missing inspectors and assessors because there hasn't really been a timeline of when people are going out. And so, they're just like we want to get the help immediately," she explained.
Related video: Some residents impacted by Detroit water main break reconsider decisions to stay home
Felicia Krol and Shea Socrates, two teachers who live in Detroit, collected donations and dropped them off.
"We heard about this and we were like how do we rally the troops," Socrates said.
Krol explained, "We've been kind of reaching out to our family, friends, people that we know."
For residents like Hernandez, the gesture goes a long way.
Related video: 'The need is great': Community groups helping southwest Detroiters after flooding
"He's really grateful for the help. There's so many people who are coming out to help," Longeria translated.
The damage claim form can be found on on the city's website.
