SAGINAW, Mich. (WNEM/Gray News) – A home that was crushed by a tree during a storm had damage so severe that the city deemed it unsafe and had it immediately demolished.
The family was unable to get any of their belongings before their home was demolished.
On Monday, the community came together to help the family sift through the rubble to salvage whatever was left.
On top of losing nearly everything, a family member says the homeowner is upset over how the situation was handled.
The homeowner’s sister, Renee, said she should have been allowed to go inside the home before it was demolished and get her belongings.
“Disappointed. Shocked. More disappointed with how things were handled than anything,” Renee said.
Chief inspector for the city of Saginaw James Martin explained why the city had the home immediately demolished.
“If a house is unsafe to enter, then that becomes a risk of the city. That’s what we do. So, we don’t want them going into a home that’s not safe to actually enter. And it wasn’t safe to enter it, so we had to make a decision if we’re going to put it in a pile or not. That decision was made by different city staff, and it needed to be done,” he said.
Martin said leaving the home alone could open the city up to liability.
“If we let someone go into an unsafe structure that they shouldn’t be entering, then they come back and talk to the city about that,” Martin said.
He said one of the walls of the home was threatening a neighbor’s gas meter, so the demolition was also done to protect the neighborhood.
“We’re not trying to cause harm to them at all. We understand. It was tragic. That’s not what we want to do. We’ll let them go do that, and then we’ll clean up. We’ll do what we need to do, come tomorrow, we’ll do what the city needs to do as far as removing some of the debris and things,” he said.
The homeowner was joined by a group organized by Alexander Griffin, co-owner of C & J Handyman.
“I arrived to her sitting on the pile of rubble, picking through it, sobbing. So, I made a few phone calls, asked how we could help, and here we are,” Griffin said.
Renee thanked the community for their help.
“You guys have no idea how much it means to our family,” she said.
Renee still believes the outcome could have been different.
“Hopefully they make some changes here in the city and get people who actually have a little bit of a heart and sympathy,” she said.
The city of Saginaw cleared away the rubble Tuesday.
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