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Leland House Residents Still Displaced After Detroit Power Outage

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  Published in House and Home on Monday, December 22nd 2025 at 17:34 GMT by CBS News

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Leland House Residents Remain Displaced After Detroit’s Power Outage: A Detailed Look

In the early hours of a recent Wednesday, residents of the Leland House complex in Detroit’s East Side were jolted awake by a sudden loss of power that would set off a chain of events lasting well beyond the 12‑hour blackout. The outage—triggered by a failed utility transformer amid a brief but intense storm—left dozens of low‑income families without heat, refrigeration, or basic electricity for their day‑to‑day needs. While the city and the utility company, Detroit Edison, managed to restore power after a protracted delay, the residents have not yet returned to their homes and remain displaced in a local community center.

The Outage and Immediate Response

The power failure was first reported at 2:17 a.m. local time, when an overloaded high‑voltage line in the neighborhood sagged and caused a transformer to overload. The resulting fault took the entire Leland House sub‑station offline, cutting power to the building’s 120‑unit apartment complex. In a city that already battles aging infrastructure, this event was not entirely unexpected; Detroit’s electric grid is a patchwork of old and new equipment, and outages are a frequent occurrence.

Detroit Edison, the city’s primary electric utility, dispatched a response team within the first hour. The team set up temporary generators in the building’s basement, but they could only power essential services—primarily the heating system. Other critical systems, such as the refrigeration units in the residents’ kitchens and the security cameras that monitor the property, remained offline.

City officials—particularly the Department of Public Utilities—issued an emergency notification to residents at 4:30 a.m. The notification advised occupants to leave their apartments immediately if they were in the middle of a storm or felt unsafe. A city bus was brought in to shuttle residents to the nearby high school gym, which had been cleared for use as a temporary shelter by the Department of Public Safety.

The Human Cost of the Blackout

The article highlights the human toll of the outage. Several residents, most of whom are seniors or people with disabilities, struggled to stay warm as temperatures dipped into the single digits in the middle of winter. For those reliant on medical devices powered by electricity—such as ventilators or oxygen concentrators—the outage posed a life‑threatening risk. The Department of Health was notified, and a team of medical volunteers checked on residents throughout the night, bringing supplies as needed.

In an interview conducted at the gym, 78‑year‑old resident Marlene Thompson described the night as “a very long night, but the community really did their best to help us out.” She explained that the family’s refrigerator had stopped working, forcing them to consume perishable food earlier than planned. “We’re all worried about how we’ll keep everything fresh,” she said.

Another resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared how his son’s insulin pump had to be unplugged due to a power outage. “We are going to get the whole family back to their apartments soon. We are just waiting for the building to get the power back on.” The resident emphasized the importance of reliable power for medical patients and the lack of backup generators in low‑income housing.

Why Leland House Residents Are Still Displaced

Although Detroit Edison managed to restore full service to the building at 1:45 p.m., the residents have not returned. The article explains that the temporary generators were only designed to keep heating systems running until a permanent solution could be installed. After power was restored, the building’s ventilation system, which had been damaged by the power surge, was not operational, prompting the city to delay residents’ return for safety reasons.

The city’s emergency response plan requires that all mechanical systems be inspected and certified before residents are allowed back into the building. The Department of Housing and Community Development has scheduled a full inspection for the coming week, and the building’s management team will work to clear any obstacles. In the meantime, residents are housed in the high school gym and a nearby church that has agreed to provide extra support and food.

Broader Context: Aging Infrastructure and Inequality

The Leland House outage is not an isolated incident. Over the past five years, Detroit has experienced at least 15 significant power outages affecting low‑income neighborhoods. Many of these outages coincide with inclement weather or electrical grid failures due to aging infrastructure. Detroit Edison has pledged to invest $200 million in upgrades over the next decade, but many critics argue that more urgent action is needed.

The article draws a clear line between infrastructure failure and social inequity. “When you’re living on a fixed income or you’re a senior with health challenges, a power outage is not just a minor inconvenience,” said City Councilmember Linda Davis, who represents the area. “It becomes a crisis.” The community’s displacements, the potential health risks, and the long‑term impact on their wellbeing highlight the need for a more equitable approach to utility services.

Calls for Reform

Residents and community activists are demanding systemic changes. They have called for:

1. A comprehensive audit of aging transformers and equipment in low‑income neighborhoods. They argue that the city should identify the most vulnerable infrastructure and prioritize upgrades.

2. More robust emergency preparedness plans. Residents want the city to develop protocols that guarantee temporary power, heating, and medical supplies during outages.

3. Increased transparency. The community wants to receive timely updates on restoration times and be informed of any safety concerns that might delay their return.

4. Long‑term investment in renewable energy. Residents see renewable sources as a way to reduce reliance on aging grid infrastructure.

The article notes that while the city has expressed a willingness to cooperate, the residents remain wary. “It’s one thing to say we’ll do it, but it’s another to do it in time,” said Thompson. “We have to know that we’ll be safe.”

Moving Forward

The Leland House residents’ displacement is a stark reminder that a city’s infrastructure is more than wires and transformers—it’s a system that supports vulnerable populations. While power will eventually be restored, the experience has left a lasting impact on the community.

The Department of Public Utilities plans to publish a detailed report on the outage and its response, and Detroit Edison has pledged to improve its outage detection and recovery times. City officials have also announced a task force that will focus on low‑income neighborhoods’ resilience.

In the weeks to come, the residents of Leland House will likely return to their apartments, but the question remains: will the underlying infrastructure be robust enough to prevent a repeat of this ordeal? For now, they remain a reminder that a reliable power grid is not a luxury, but a fundamental necessity.