SALT LAKE CITY — New windows are planned for Shirley Reyes’ basement, where flood damage once covered the walls and floor.
The repair work is a visible sign of progress two months after a 20-inch water main broke near 500 South and Emery Street, flooding 15 Poplar Grove homes and forcing four families out.
But Reyes said her family is further along than many of her neighbors because it had insurance.
“I don’t want to celebrate this until all of my neighbors have their homes back,” Reyes said.
The Aug. 16 break happened near the 500 South Jordan River Bridge project. Salt Lake City and the Utah Department of Transportation are still sorting out responsibility for the damage and recovery.
In the meantime, the Salt Lake City Council established a $50,000 emergency relief fund for flood-impacted families. The city said rental assistance is the initial priority, while repair assistance is still being developed as Risk Management, Public Utilities and UDOT work on repair scopes and cost estimates.
The city also executed a lease allowing one displaced family to move into a home owned by the city’s Community Land Trust during reconstruction, according to City Council Chair Alejandro Puy.
For Reyes, questions remain about who will cover the cost of flood cleanup. She said the city initially told her it would cover $15,000 of a $23,000 ServPro mitigation bill, then denied the request.
“The city had promised to take care of $15,000 of the mitigation company, so ServPro, and then last minute they backed out,” Reyes said.
Another flood-impacted homeowner, Tom Newman, said he did not hear from the city until long after the flood.
“I never heard a word from them for a month after the flood, and it wasn’t until the media got involved before they finally reached out,” Newman said.
Newman said the city later offered him $36,000, but depreciation included in the offer would leave him with far less than he needs to repair his home.
On Tuesday, city council unanimously passed a legislative intent asking the administration to review Risk Management, including coverage levels and how it communicates with families, including renters, during emergencies.
Puy said the review is not intended to decide individual claims or legal responsibility for the water main break. Instead, he said, it will examine whether the city gives families clear direction and meets basic needs while responsibility and insurance questions remain unresolved.
“We had neighbors living in tents,” Puy said. “We had people that lost literally everything, so we needed a faster response.”
Puy said the administration will conduct the review and return recommendations to the council in the next few months.
Reyes said she hopes making the process visible will help ensure that no neighbors are left behind.