It happened around 5:30 a.m. at the intersection of Terrace and Salaignac streets.
The fire department says a 16 inch water main broke and at least four houses reported flood damage. Some residents reported as much a 5 feet of water in their basements.
So far, no one has been asked to leave their homes.
The view from Chopper 6 HD showed mud all over the roadway.
Action News was allowed in the home of Theresa Rzepnicki, who showed us her flooded basement after the water main break.
She said she heard a hissing noise and thought it was raining. When she realized it wasn't the weather, she checked out her basement and found about two to three feet of water.
"I couldn't believe it. My washer's floating, the refrigerator is open, food is floating all over the place," Rzepnicki said. "I can't get down, can only get down to the last third or fourth step. Everything is floating. The dryer I got last year... everything is gone."
As the water department rigged up hoses and pumps to clear out the flooding, the extent of the damage became clear.
In David Branigan's basement, four different sets of heaters and hot water heaters for each of his rental units destroyed. As the water department rigged up hoses and pumps to clear out the flooding, the extent of the damage became clear.
"There's probably 8 feet of water they got heaters and hot water heaters floating in the basement," Branigan said.
Next door to Branigan, the brand new appliances installed for a newly renovated building are kaput.
"There was a brand new heater downstairs in the basement, that's got to be replaced," handyman Daniel Beyer said.
A claims adjuster from the city surveyed the damage and answered owners questions as water flowed back out of the homes.
The water department is working on repairs.
Home owners are being told to file claims for what their insurance won't cover.
