Tuesday marks one year since a massive water main break devastated neighborhoods in Southwest Detroit, sending a wall of icy water rushing through streets, trapping cars, and flooding homes.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report: Detroit's water main mess one year later

The disaster forced families from their homes, some with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

While the city says recovery has been remarkable, with nearly 100% of claims settled, some residents like Mike and Michelle Muzzey are still dealing with the aftermath.

"The container, look on the bottom shelf here. There's still water, there's still water," Mike Muzzey said, showing damage that persists in his home.

The Muzzeys say they're still wringing out water from their belongings one year later.

"I could not believe it was coming through the windows. I mean, my windows were sealed with caulk, and it still came through the windows," Mike Muzzey said.

The water main break damaged 200 homes in Southwest Detroit. For the Muzzey family, the flooding was devastating.

"We lost everything in our basement, I mean, there was nothing we could save in our basement. Nothing," Michelle Muzzey said.

Water rushed into their basement and rose all the way up to the eighth step of their stairs, destroying their furnace, water tank, pictures, and power tools.

PREVIOUS STORY: Streets of Southwest Detroit lined with dead, frozen cars after major flooding Streets of Southwest Detroit lined with dead, frozen cars after major flooding

"When we came outside, you couldn't see nothing out here, all the trash cans were gone. The water was halfway up my car, it was halfway up my husband's truck, so a lot of us lost our vehicles here," Michelle Muzzey said.

Dust and grime still cover many of Mike Muzzey's items from the flood damage.

Gary Brown, director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, said the break wasn't preventable.

"These 54-inch pipes are under pressure, there's water flowing through them, they're not easily accessible...and we expected this particular pipe to have another 50 years of life," Brown said.

Brown said the city has settled almost 100% of their claims, with only 2-3 claims remaining. He said every household affected is back in their home.

"I want to thank all of the residents who were affected. This was a horrible situation to be put through, I thank them for their patience," Brown said.

The city estimates the total cost of recovery and repairs at roughly $12 million, split among the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, the Great Lakes Water Authority, and the City of Detroit. Officials say they're keeping a close eye on aging infrastructure.

The Muzzey family says it's been a long road to recovery, but they're managing.

"We've pretty much gotten to a point where we've done some repairs...and I'm still kind of dealing with some of it," they said.

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A Livingston County mother has filed a lawsuit against rideshare company Lyft, alleging one of their drivers transported her 14-year-old daughter to a sexual predator who assaulted her.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, claims the incident occurred three years ago on February 13, 2023 when a man allegedly arranged a Lyft to pick up the teenager from her Brighton home and take her to his residence in Dearborn Heights.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below: Brighton mother suing Lyft, says teen daughter was driven to sexual predator

The family claims he sexually assaulted her, gave her drugs and forced her to take nude photos.

"It's even hard for me to talk about it. It was surreal," said the mother, who is identified as "M.L" in the lawsuit. For the safety and privacy of her child, she asked to remain anonymous.

The mother says her daughter got into a Lyft to meet a man believed to be in his 20s. The two had met on Wizz, a Tinder-like dating app that was removed from Apple and Google stores in 2024 for safety concerns.

"I start calling her phone, trying to figure out where she is. I can see her moving on her Life 360, and Im like, where is she going? I think she was on the expressway heading towards Novi. At that point, I go into full blown panic mode, and then she shuts her phone off on me," the mother said.

The mother says she reached out to her daughter's friend who told her the teen was meeting a guy in Dearborn Heights. After calling local and state police, the mother says she repeatedly called Lyft to try and stop the ride but wasn't able to.

"The female driver even asked her if she was OK because clearly, she didn't look OK in the Lyft, and the female driver did nothing," the mother said.

She says she found her daughter hours later, after sending an alert to her phone that revealed her location.

The lawsuit claims policies were violated by driving an unaccompanied minor and failing to verify the passenger's age. The family's attorney, along with the mother who briefly drove for Lyft, says drivers can sometimes be punished for canceling rides.

"If a driver cancels a ride even once, they can be prohibited for weeks from doing another drive and potentially have their ability to be a driver terminated. So, what is a driver supposed to do," attorney Elizabeth Abdnour said.

Abdnour says her client is suing Lyft for violations of the TVPRA, or Trafficking Victim Protections Reauthorization Act, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

She adds the man has fled the country and is believed to be in Morocco. She says criminal charges have been filed and there's an active warrant for the man's arrest.

7 News Detroit reached out to Lyft on multiple occasions but haven't heard back. The family believes the assault could have been prevented if the driver had stepped in.

"I don't want this to ever happen again. There should be some sort of alert system or panic button. There's got to be something better," the mother said.

Both Lyft and Uber offer family profiles that allow parents to receive a notification the second a ride starts and track the car's movement in real time. You can also set it up so that a trusted contact, like a parents, must receive a unique pin before the ride can begin.

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A Madison Heights family who found a missing 6-year-old boy with autism safe in their home is now receiving community support after their house sustained extensive water damage from the incident.

La'Bron Brinkley and his family discovered Johnathan in their upstairs bathtub filled with water after the boy wandered away from his home for hours on Feb 1. The child, who has autism and is nonverbal, had entered through their side door while the family was away.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below: Community rallies to help family whose home was damaged after finding missing boy with autism

"I never experienced the idea of the community all coming together to find Johnathan, but even in this, they stepped in. There were random people that I've never seen, never known, different walks of life directly messaging me like, 'What can we do?'" Brinkley said.

The Brinkley family is now living in a Troy hotel after an inspector detected a concerning smell in their home. The water damage has made their house uninhabitable.

"Right now, we have no access to either bathroom, the ceiling of the basement caved, that and the walls are knocked down. We have blowers trying to dry out what's going on in the home. It's just ongoing and so we can't exactly stay there right now," Brinkley said.

The family initially thought the smell would dissipate after a few days, but it persisted.

"When they came out, they thought that the scent would eventually make us all sick and we should move on it right away," Brinkley said.

Previous coverage: 'He was sitting in this bath.' Neighbor describes finding missing boy inside his home 'He was sitting in the bath.' Neighbor describes finding missing boy in his home

Without access to their kitchen and belongings as well as family members looking after their dog, daily life has become challenging for the family of four.

"Food she (his wife) would normally cook, she can't cook right now. It's a lot of those dynamics that we're trying to fight our way through," Brinkley said.

Community members and strangers have rallied to help, raising nearly $5,000 for the family. Krista Skodak from Royal Oak was among those who contributed.

"The least we could do is try to help them when they need help when they were able to inadvertently help in such a big way," Skodak said.

The family's landlord is providing extra time to pay rent while they navigate their next steps. The total cost of repairs remains unknown as the water needs to dry completely before a full assessment can be made.

Despite the challenges, the Brinkley family remains grateful for the outpouring of support.

"This entire process has been tough, but God has held our hands," Brinkley said. "And I hope that people can see the miraculous works of God."

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Twenty dogs are getting a second chance at life thanks to Bark Nation, a nonprofit dedicated to saving dogs from difficult situations.

The organization recently took in the animals from The Devoted Barn, a rescue that has faced legal troubles. The Devoted Barn's owner, Melissa Borden, is currently serving six months in jail for animal cruelty and abandonment in a case involving other animals including pigs, llamas and goats.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below: Volunteers help give dogs a second chance

"We had known about these dogs and their situation and all the animals, but didn't know when exactly we'd be able to step in and honestly, the pieces just came together," said Marissa Gregg, operations director at Bark Nation.

The rescue happened after Bark Nation reached out to The Devoted Barn volunteers.

"One day, we were just like 'what if?' We sent an email and the next day, a volunteer called and was thrilled that we had reached out. You know, they were so hopeful, but it's also unlikely that an organization would be able to take all the dogs," said Jenna Hudy, shelter coordinator at Bark Nation.

In just two weeks, Bark Nation has provided the senior dogs with medical and behavioral treatment. The organization has also partnered with training centers like K9 Turbo in Ferndale to prepare the animals for new homes.

"We pretty much uprooted one whole side of our shelter and we just planned for the worst and hoped for the best, and it has honestly exceeded and blown us away at how resilient these dogs have been," said Christina Babcock, a staff member and volunteer.

Previous coverage: Animal sanctuary owner sentenced to 6 months in jail, restitution for cruelty to pigs, llamas, goats Owner of animal sanctuary sentenced to 6 months in jail, restitution for cruelty

The Devoted Barn responded to our request for comment, stating in part:

"Our volunteers decided this was the best decision for everyone involved. Our volunteers partnered with the Bark Nation team to ensure our dogs had everything they needed for a seamless move to their facility. While it was so difficult to see their time with our rescue end, we are excited that our dogs have the chance to meet many new people and potentially find foster homes when they are ready."

Chelsea Murphy of Harrison Township is hoping to adopt one of the rescued dogs.

"It's really like I feel honored to be able to help one of them to become a happy house dog," Murphy said. "I think that it's that moment when they trust. There's a moment where you can tell almost a little switch flips in their head, you know. You're just this person that feeds them and cleans up after them to like there's a bond there."

While none of the dogs have been placed in homes yet, Bark Nation says adoptions will begin as soon as next weekend.

"This piece is just one little step in the next part of their journey, and it's huge to be able play a part in that," Gregg said.

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Faye Baker is breaking barriers in Warren as the city's only Black female home developer, turning her passion for homeownership into a mission to help families build wealth and create brighter futures.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report: Woman developer is breaking barriers by building in Warren

The Detroit native discovered her calling at age 21 when she purchased her first home.

"I had one son at the time. I just so happened to look down the street, and I saw a home for sale, and I thought, " Wow, how does that work?" Baker said.

After going through the homebuying process, Baker realized the transformative power of homeownership.

"Understanding finance and housing, I felt like if it could change my life, it could change everyone's life," Baker said.

Today, Baker serves as the CEO and president of Baker & Associates and leads the Empowerment and Development Housing Resource Center, a nonprofit offering free services including homebuyer education, credit coaching, and financial literacy programs for families.

But Baker's impact extends beyond education she's actively building homes too.

"I acquire raw land and develop it into housing," Baker said.

Currently, Baker is developing 20 modular homes in Warren, with three already completed, and plans to finish the remaining homes by summer.

Her work has transformed lives like that of Tannisha Hurd, who grew up in low-income housing. With Baker's guidance, Hurd and her husband purchased their first home in 2014 for around $80,000, later selling it for nearly four times that amount in 2022 and moving into a $400,000 house in Macomb Township.

"I didn't think it was possible, and when I realized that it was, I was happy, blessed, thankful to be able to do that," Hurd said.

For Baker, homeownership represents more than just property ownership it's about generational change.

"I have a passion for homeownership. So, whatever it takes to get you from A to Z, that's what I do," Baker said. "That is how you change your life, and the life of your kids."

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Royal Oak's switch to ParkMobile at the start of the year is getting positive reviews from residents and business owners who say it's simpler and more user-friendly than the previous system.

"I thought it was really easy. Everything is spelled out for how to do it," Suzanne Abbott of Harrison Township said.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below: Are Royal Oak's parking changes making a difference

Kelly Dobson of Livonia agreed, noting the familiarity of the system.

"They have similar machines in Ann Arbor, which I go to a lot, so it was not that hard to figure it out," Dobson said.

However, some residents acknowledge there's a learning curve for less tech-savvy users.

"You know, I'm pretty tech savvy, but there's people in places right here, they couldn't," Phillip Stephens of Royal Oak said.

The new ParkMobile system eliminated the city's controversial back-in parking spaces and camera technology, providing relief for many businesses, especially those on South Washington Avenue, who felt the old system drove customers away.

"It used to be daily, weekly complaints about not being able to back in, not understanding the system, the app not working, and now it's the exact opposite," said Julia Manzella, who works at Rail & Anchor gift shop.

Manzella has worked at the gift shop for six years and has noticed increased foot traffic since the switch.

"The anxiety is gone about parking here now. It's way more welcoming to come back to the city," Manzella said.

City officials say creating a welcoming environment was exactly their goal.

"The hardest part should be deciding where you want to go for dinner, not how to park," City Commissioner Brandon Kolo said.

Previous report: Royal Oak shares exclusive sneak peek of new downtown parking meters ahead of January 2026 launch Royal Oak shares exclusive sneak peek of new downtown parking meters ahead of January 2026 launch

Kolo and fellow City Commissioner Rebecca Cheezum wanted a parking system already used in other communities. The ParkMobile system is also used in Ferndale and Birmingham.

"So it's really familiar to people and I think people are really enjoying the ease of our on-street parking," Cheezum said.

The new system eliminates back-in parking spaces but still requires payment even when meters are bagged. Users should look for orange signs and kiosks, then follow the listed steps including entering the zone number and license plate number.

Other payment options include downloading the ParkMobile app, paying online or texting "PARK" to 77223.

"Our downtown is really important to us. We want people to come downtown. We want visitors in our community. That's really important to us, to our business owners, to our residents... and so it was really essential that we get it right," Cheezum said.

Previous report: Royal Oak returns to pull-in parking, ending controversial back-in spaces City of Royal Oak begins parking changes

The city has already started removing the old meters, with the process expected to be completed by April.

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More than 7 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's disease, including over 200,000 people in Michigan, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Watch Jolie's report in the video player below

Local program supports families facing dementia and their caregivers

For families facing this devastating diagnosis, finding support can make all the difference in managing the challenges ahead.

Janet Schwamb knows this reality all too well. Her husband, Freddie, was diagnosed with dementia three years ago, though warning signs appeared much earlier.

"It really goes back about 8 years. He had balance problems about 8 years ago, and he had some ambulatory problems, walking," Schwamb said.

Freddie Schwamb spent decades as a teacher and assistant principal in New York. Even after retiring in Michigan to be closer to family, he returned to the classroom as a substitute teacher until his condition made it impossible to continue.

"It's always a challenge, and it limits your mobility. You know, getting your wheelchair in and out of the car," Freddie Schwamb said.

The couple of 50 years describes dementia as one of the biggest challenges they've faced.

"So as a caregiver to Freddie, it's all encompassing as the symptoms progress and increase, I do more for him. I do more for the care of the house, the finances, all of the things that life requires us to do on a daily basis," Janet Schwamb said.

In 2024, Mr. and Mrs. Schwamb found support through the Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program, known as the Brown Center, which operates locations in West Bloomfield and Southfield. The program works in partnership with Gesher Human Services and Jewish Senior Life.

"We do cognitively stimulating activities, we do physical activities, things that just treat the whole person," said Sharilyn Rowe, a social worker at the center.

The Brown Center has been serving people living with dementia and their caregivers for nearly 30 years, providing both structured activities and crucial respite for families.

"So, [caregivers] get that chance to drop that person off and know that they're safe and cared for, and they can go and do what it is that they need to do whether that's running errands, taking a nap, having some me time, whatever it is," Rowe said.

Beyond daily programming, the center connects families to critical resources.

On Thursday, January 29, the Brown Center is hosting a free webinar from 2-4 p.m. on the latest advances in Alzheimer's care, where experts will discuss new FDA-approved treatments and how to access them.

Families must register by Tuesday, January 27, by emailing jdorfman@jslmi.org or calling the center at (248)661-6390. Participants will receive a link and can tune in from home.

For the Schwamb family, this type of support has been life-changing, providing both practical help and emotional comfort in knowing they're not facing this journey alone.

"The help is super. They're very empathetic...and fun to be with, and that's a big part of getting through the day," Freddie Schwamb said.

"The longer that we can keep him mobile and the longer we keep him actively engaged, the slower the progression," Janet Schwamb said.

The Brown Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.