'Welcome Home': Evacuated Royal Oak Residents Return After Explosion

“Welcome home.”

After living out of a hotel room for the past couple of days, those two words brought a smile to Lisa Hailer’s face as her Elmwood Avenue neighbor greeted her.

On the sidewalk Friday morning, the two women exchanged their experiences of the last 40 hours.

“We just got home this morning,” Hailer said.

She and her husband, Jeff Hailer, and their two children have been living out of hotel rooms for the past couple of nights.

"It was funny. We would go to Target and see all our neighbors. We were all buying toothbrushes, combs, pajamas. We just had to leave our houses. We didn't get time to pack," she explained.

The Hailers and most of their neighbors got the all clear to return to the neighborhood after Consumers Energy and the City of Royal Oak did a thorough investigation. The two houses adjacent to the explosion did not pass inspection.

“Consumers inspected our house with my husband,” Hailer said. “We all got new meters yesterday. They probably didn’t have to do it, but they did.”

In addition to the utility company and Chief Building Official Jason Craig, who inspected the exteriors of 35 houses affected by the explosion, Mayor Jim Ellison also stopped by on Thursday.

“The mayor was here checking on us,” she said. “And, the police were so helpful, too. They went out of their way to see if we needed anything and kept us updated on what was happening.”

The Hailers said they have been overwhelmed by the actions of friends, family and city and school officials. They have children that attend Upton and Royal Oak Middle School.

“The principal and the teachers, they have all been so nice. They have been checking in to make sure we are OK,” Hailer said. “Everyone has been so helpful. I know I’d do the same if someone were in need, but it still was so nice. Everyone is asking what they can do to help us,” she said.

Superintendent Shawn Lewis-Lakin said he is very proud of his staff’s actions.

“That’s what we mean when we say we are a ‘community’ of excellence,” he said, adding if families need help, there are school-based services in the district people can connect to.

For now, the Hailers are just waiting to hear from their insurance company. 

“’’Explosion? I never had to deal with an explosion before.’ That’s what my agent said,” said a chuckling Jeff Hailer.

The Hailers are in surprisingly good spirits for all that their neighborhood has been through. Signs of the explosion are seen throughout their home. Plaster is cracked, pictures fell from the walls to the floor and their garage is damaged—yet they say they are the lucky ones.

From a second-story bedroom window they point to a pile of rubble that was once the home of Daniel Malczynski, the sole fatality of the explosion.

“Others have it much worse than we do,” Lisa Hailer said. “One thing I have noticed though, I am more jumpy now. Even if I hear a car door slam, I’ll jump.”

All four of the Hailers were at home at the time of the explosion.

Royal Oakers want to help

The mayor acknowledged Friday morning that the city has been tested.

“We certainly were surprised by this tragic event,” he said. “But we are seeing good coming out of something that is bad. Everywhere I go, people are asking me ‘How can I help?’ That’s how we are in Royal Oak.”

For now the mayor is giving families affected by the explosion some space to figure out what comes next.

“We are still trying to get a grip on this,” he said. “We are waiting to see what they need from the community. When they tell us, people will be ready to go.”

We’re here to listen, says principal

Upton Elementary had approximately four families that had to evacuate their homes after the explosion, but many more were affected.

Principal John Grzywack said there were a few ‘nervous’ students that were consumed by the explosion and were having trouble processing it after seeing images of the event in the media.

“Our secretary, Pat Affeld did a great job of keeping everyone calm and comforting the children that needed it. Our school social worker was also here and she visited every classroom and took questions from the kids.”

Grzywack said the school also reached out to the families who were staying in hotels to see if they needed anything and to connect them with counseling if necessary. 

“If there is something they need, we’ll find a way. We're here to keep students safe and to listen if they need to talk,” Grzywack said. “We treat everyone like family.”