MILWAUKEE — When Dombanee Lincoln woke up Saturday morning to find water filling her apartment, she knew she had to get out.
"Just panicking, I was scared,” she said. "We had to rush and leave out. We're barely dressed. It's cold, my feet are frozen from being soaking wet."
Her unit was one of 99 in an apartment building near 23rd and West Kilbourn Avenue that was evacuated that morning due to a broken water pipe.
Just before 9:00 a.m. Saturday the Milwaukee Fire Department responded to the major leak, expecting an easy fix, but MFD leaders said because the pipe was connected to multiple structures, it wasn't so simple.
"The shut offs that were utilized here didn't stop the actual leak,” MFD Battalion Chief Thomas Sells explained. “It’s unfortunate for these families here. I just hope that they’re able to get to a place where they can relocate and get their pets in line and that everything works out in the long run.”
MFD says the cause is a broken pipe and the worst of the damage is to the apartments on the lower level. There water was pouring in from the ceiling and down the stairs. pic.twitter.com/dd90fhXikR
— Tahleel Mohieldin (@tahleelmohie) January 21, 2024
Even with dozens of emergency crews on the scene, water continued to pour in from the ceilings, down the stairs and in the hallways.
Residents, who didn't know how long the leak would continue, tried to salvage their belongings.
Many made several trips carrying what they could out to their cars. Others laid out blankets in front of their apartments to stop the water from coming in.
However, for those like Lincoln with units in the basement that wasn’t an option.
“The water is almost half of my leg,” she explained. “I lost everything in my house I don’t know where me and my kids is gonna go.”
Fortunately, the Red Cross has stepped in, beginning with a warming bus Saturday morning.
To stop the leakage, MFD called in the city's water department to shut the water off at the street level.
Sells said it'll be at least one two days before residents can return to their apartments, including those living on unaffected floors.
Sells said this is because the gas an electricity was temporarily shut off, as a precaution, in the entire building. Water damage was limited to the first floor and lower level.
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