Detroit crews are working to fix a broken water main that flooded dozens of homes

One of Claudia Ortiz's neighbors telephoned her early Monday morning, telling her that the street outside their Detroit homes was filling fast with water. About 2 a.m. Monday, a nearly century-old 54-inch (1.4-meter) steel water main suddenly burst yards from Ortiz's front door. It sent torrents of water coursing out in all directions from an ever-widening crater.