Unauthorized robocalls are blamed for a deluge of phone calls to Macomb County’s flooding damage hotline by puzzled and irked residents.

County officials tried to determine who’s behind a series of the widespread, pre-recorded calls Thursday and Friday urging people residing in Warren and Center Line to report damages caused to their homes by the flooding that followed the Aug. 11 thunderstorm.

In the 51-second automated call, recorded by Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Suzanne Faunce, she twice stated the phone number --- 586-493-6767 – to the phone bank established by county officials Aug. 14 at the COMTEC emergency communications center in Mount Clemens.

Earlier in the week, employees began cutting back on the number of volunteers and county employees who answered the dozen phone lines, as the volume of flooding claims began to dwindle. Early Thursday afternoon, calls from residents started coming in by the hundreds, according to Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel.

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“Some people called and said, ‘Why are you calling us (and) putting out a robocall?’” Hackel said.

Caught off guard, the few phone bank workers replied that no widespread calls were placed.

But like the torrential rain on Aug. 11 that kept coming and coming, so did the calls from residents.

The phone bank usually has been manned 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. But the call volume Thursday afternoon and evening was so high, county officials staffed the lines with volunteers and some county workers -- some on overtime – until 9 p.m.

Hackel and Macomb County Director of Emergency Management and Communications Vicki Wolber are troubled that someone provided the number via robocalls with the county’s approval.

“It was a shock to us,” the county executive said. “We want to know why somebody did this. If it was for political purposes, we’ve got a problem.”

However, Hackel said phone bank workers couldn’t ignore phones ringing off the hook because of the possibility that some may be legitimate, first-time reports by flood-damage victims.

Since last week, local, state and federal officials have urged residents devastated by flooding damage, to report their losses and cleanup expense. When tallied, those reports from all of Macomb County are considered vital in order for state officials to convince the Federal Emergency Management Agency that Macomb residents, businesses and local governments deserve disaster relief funds.

Shortly after 11 a.m. Friday, another wave of calls came into COMTEC after more robocalls were placed.

In the calls, Faunce identified herself as chief of the senior protection unit for Prosecutor Eric Smith. She suggested that anyone filing a claim for water damages to call Macomb County flood emergency support. Faunce also urged robocall recipients to contract the Home Builders Association and the Better Business Bureau, if approached by a contractor.

“Be aware. Scam artists are out there,” she says.

Without providing her office phone number, Faunce urged anyone who feels cheated by a contractor to contact her.

Faunce, the sister of Macomb County Circuit Judge Jennifer Faunce, did not return a phone message seeking comment for this report. She also is a candidate for judge in the 37th District Court, which includes Warren and Center Line. She hopes to unseat incumbent Judge Dean Ausilio.

Caller ID showed a county government number, officials said. While it’s not clear when Faunce’s robocall was recorded and at whose expense, Michigan’s campaign finance law prohibits the use of public resources for campaign purposes.

“It did us more harm than good,” said Hackel. “Although someone might have thought it was a good idea, it was not.

“If someone has another method they should have consulted with us and not taken it on themselves to do.”

Hackel said a member of his staff contacted Smith’s office to request the robocalls be discontinued. He refused to reveal the response.

In a different use of robocalls Friday, the city of Royal Oak targeted automated calls at the city’s senior citizens, advising them where to turn for volunteer help with storm cleanup.

Earlier this week, Wolber reported flooding damages across Macomb have topped $301 million. Almost 29,000 properties – nearly all of them residential – suffered varying degrees of flooding damage. Among those homes, 21 were destroyed and 755 had major damage.

Warren and Center Line were among the hardest-hit communities in Macomb County. Property damages estimates in Warren have topped $100 million, Mayor James Fouts said this week.