Grosse Pointe Woods Water Damage Restoration › Storm Damage Restoration
Storm Damage Restoration in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI
Ice dams, hail and flooded yards send water indoors. We extract it and dry the ceiling, wall and floor surfaces. NOAA logged a 56 knots (about 64 mph) thunderstorm wind event in Grosse Pointe Woods on August 23, 2007. Police reported numerous trees and power lines down throughout the city.
A typical Grosse Pointe Woods call gets a response in under 30 minutes. One call gets a crew moving toward your address before the water sits long enough to spread.
A written guarantee covers the job: we return and finish it, no refund.
Grosse Pointe Woods Headquarters
Your Grosse Pointe Woods call goes to a crew based at the office at 20902 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236. The office sits on Mack Avenue, the city's one commercial spine, so every street in Grosse Pointe Woods is a short drive from the door.
What Grosse Pointe Woods Homeowners Need to Know
Storm record
On August 11, 2009 a Woods spotter measured nickel-size hail (0.88 inch) and a 54 mph gust from storms that formed near Lake St. Clair. (NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 183859 (2009 details...)
On August 26, 2014, storms brought down 30-inch diameter trees in Grosse Pointe Woods. About 150,000 customers lost power across southeast Michigan. A second wind event hit the Woods on September 5, 2014, when trees and wires came down. (NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events 539511 and 539890...)
On June 10, 2020, a 52 knots (about 60 mph) gust blew several large trees down in Grosse Pointe Woods. The storm system came from the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal. Hundreds of thousands of customers lost power across the region. (NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 900801 (2020 details...)
On July 8, 2021 a thunderstorm gust of 50 knots (about 58 mph) in Grosse Pointe Woods damaged power equipment. On June 24, 2025 a 56 knots (about 64 mph) gust uprooted large trees and damaged a power pole there. (NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events 974688 and 1268343)
NOAA logged hail of 0.88 inch at Grosse Pointe Woods on July 14, 1997, from a cold front. The narrative reports nickel-size hail in the city. (NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1997 details file)
On July 22, 2002 trained spotters in the Woods reported thunderstorm winds of 50 and 54 and tree limbs 16 inches across blown down. (NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2002 details file)
On June 8, 2017 a contractor replacing a storm drain near Anita and Charlevoix struck a gas line. About two dozen people left their homes and streets closed. It was the fourth gas main break in the Woods in six weeks. (CBS Detroit, 4th Gas Main Break In Grosse Pointe Woods In 6...)
Power and outages
The September 5, 2014 storms left nearly 400,000 homes and businesses in southeast Michigan without power. NOAA lists Grosse Pointe Woods with trees and wires down. (NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 539890 (2014 details...)
The Woods posts a DTE Tree Trim Map and an Electric Reliability Improvements map on its Public Works site, and sends residents to DTE customer service at (800) 477-4747. (City of Grosse Pointe Woods, DTE Tree Trim Map)
DTE Energy maintains every streetlight in the Woods. A resident reports an outage to Public Works on weekdays. (City of Grosse Pointe Woods, Street Services)
The city trims its trees on an eight-year cycle by district to cut storm damage and clear lines. The tree trim map for DTE is on the city site, and DTE customer service is (800) 477-4747. (City of Grosse Pointe Woods, Forestry Division)
In 2021 the city replaced the aging generator in the Public Safety building, which houses dispatch. The county hazard mitigation plan adoption in August 2021 makes the city eligible for grant funds. (City of Grosse Pointe Woods Department of Public Safety,...)
Tree, debris and city rules
The city does not pick up root balls and stumps. DPW does not chip tree removals, so a storm-felled tree needs a private hauler. (City of Grosse Pointe Woods, Yard Waste & Fall Clean Up)
Storms we see most
- Rain blown hard against a wall until it seeps through
- Hail strong enough to crack windows
- A trunk or branch crashing through the building
- Ice dams along the eave line
- Runoff that rises faster than drains can move it
- Electric failure that leaves the sump pump unable to run
- A lightning strike that leaves a hole or a gap
Clues of hidden water
- A stain overhead that was missing before the storm
- Cold, matted insulation
- Puddles on sills or around frames
- Attic decking that looks wet
- Smell of mildew in the following days
- Paint lifting off the wall in bubbles
From first look to dry house
| Phase | Action |
|---|---|
| Look before we touch | On arrival we walk the yard and the exterior. Snapped cables, hanging limbs and a leaning tree all stop us. For danger to life, we ask you to dial 911 or the utility. Then we go in. |
| Close the building up | Water follows the hole it came in through. We cover the hole with a tarp or a board, and we fasten it well. Wind and rain then have no way to add more water. |
| Read the walls and floors | Wet spots hide. Our meters tell us what the eye cannot see, and a heat camera shows cold damp areas through paint. We note each spot on a sketch of the rooms before work starts. |
| Get the water out | Pumps take the deep water. Then we run extractors over the carpet and floors until the surface water is gone. Soaked padding and loose, ruined material leave the house with the water. |
| Let the house dry out | Fans and dehumidifiers run nonstop through the wet areas. They draw water out of the wood and wall board. We come back to test it and stay until the readings fall. |
| Keep the proof | We photograph each room and write down what we did. You get the photos and the readings. Send them with your claim. The insurer sets what the policy pays. |
Tools for the work
- Tarps rated for wind
- Window boards
- Carpet extractors
- Basement pumps
- Centrifugal blowers
- Humidity removal units
- Handheld moisture readers
- Infrared scanner
Once the crew arrives
The team brings the tools in through one door and sets a clear path. They protect floors where they can. Water comes out, machines go in, and the house gets loud for a while. Please leave the settings alone, because a small change can slow the drying in a room.
Questions Neighbors Ask
Will a crew arrive while the storm rages?
Safety rules the schedule. Crews do not climb or enter hazardous areas in high wind or lightning. Call us with the facts, and we talk through what to do while you wait. A visit follows when the sky is calmer.
What do your people do before anything else?
They look for danger. Hanging branches, cables and weak ceilings get checked. Then they close what the storm opened with sheeting and plywood. Once the house is safe and shut, they start work on the water.
Can you dry the stuff that got wet?
We dry the house itself with machines. Some belongings respond well to drying, and some do not. If a thing cannot be saved, we say so and show you why. You make the final call on your own property.
What pictures does my insurer need?
Photograph each damaged room from the doorway, then take close pictures of the worst spots. Add outside views of the cause. Shoot before we clear anything out. Save the original files so the dates stay on them.
How does a blackout change the work?
Without power, some machines wait. We still secure the house and clear water with hand tools. We say which steps move to later. Please stay away from the breaker box if the floor is wet, and ask the utility about the outage.
Who do Grosse Pointe Woods residents ask about storm damage?
NOAA logged a 56 knots (about 64 mph) thunderstorm wind event in Grosse Pointe Woods on August 23, 2007. Police reported numerous trees and power lines down throughout the city.
Who do Grosse Pointe Woods residents ask about power outages?
The September 5, 2014 storms left nearly 400,000 homes and businesses in southeast Michigan without power. NOAA lists Grosse Pointe Woods with trees and wires down.
Open roof or wet ceiling? Call us.
Reach us at (313) 351-9423, day or night.
A typical Grosse Pointe Woods call gets a response in under 30 minutes. One call gets a crew moving toward your address before the water sits long enough to spread.
No charge for the on-site estimate, ever.
A written guarantee covers the job: we return and finish it, no refund.