By: Alyssa Ochss | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published August 1, 2025
ST. CLAIR SHORES — Heavy rains caused flooding in most of St. Clair Shores on Monday, July 28, leaving damaged basements and lawns in its wake.
In the late afternoon hours, heavy rain made its way through St. Clair Shores as well as much of metro Detroit. On Facebook, residents posted pictures and videos of streets filled with water, flooded basements and drivers using sidewalks to get around the deepest ponding on roadways. In the following days, residents were left asking each other for help with questions about the best cleanup crews and recovery experts.
According to the National Weather Service report edited on July 29, St. Clair Shores received 4 inches of rain in two hours on July 28.
Nic Waidknecht and Marsha Kerpet worked in front of and inside a home on Tuesday July 29. A large box truck from a restoration company sat parked in the driveway. Items such as kitchen tools and other things were on the lawn. Waidknecht said they were helping his sister clean up after the flooding destroyed her finished basement.
“Basically, mass rain and it’s like the sewer lines failed,” Waidknecht said.
He said a lot of water needed to be drained, but that it needed to be drained correctly.
By that time, they had already used three shop vacs and a submersible pump to clean out the basement. Waidknecht’s sister pretty much lost everything in her basement a month before her wedding.
Kerpet said hopefully the city can find a solution.
“They need to make it right with the homeowners,” Kerpet said.
Waidknecht and Kerpet wished other homeowners the best in cleaning up their homes.
Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Rubello said according to Brian Babcock, director of Public Works, no pumps failed within the city. Rubello said he knows how much devastation can occur with so much rain in such a short amount of time.
“We do our best to keep everything flowing quick, but when the system is overcome, there’s not too much we can do about it,” Rubello said. “As far as any damage to basements and things like that, get it to the curb. We are picking it up.”
He went on to say they are aware of the issues and reiterated placing everything on the curb.
On July 29, the St. Clair Shores official Facebook page indicated the city was responding to the flooding.
“Public Works crews have been diligently working through the night and continue their efforts to clear flooded streets and provide aid to residents whose properties have been affected by the storm,” the page posted.
Residents were asked to call the Department of Public Works at (586) 445-5363 for assistance and guidance pertaining to the flooding and to place flood-damaged debris on the curb for pickup. Residents were asked to use the link form.jotform.com/252094226963158 or call the DPW directly for pickup. All claims can also be submitted by using the link scsmi.net/1087/File-a-Flood-Claim.
Priority Waste also posted on its Facebook page on July 29 addressing the flooding throughout southeast Michigan. The company stated crews were actively picking up waste from affected areas and will revisit inaccessible areas multiple times to pick up items. The company also stated it cannot pick up “large trash piles from flooded basements or cleanouts.”