County crews, businesses scrambling after rain

ATLANTA — A sunny afternoon brought relief to metro utility crews and local businesses struggling to keep up with a rain-soaked workload.

Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland found crews in DeKalb County having to make some hard choices, including a decision to wait weeks before repairing a huge hole caused by a bad storm sewer.

"It's growing. It looks larger," said resident Lakishia Greene, who lives near the erosion pit.

Strickland said the hole appears about 10 feet at its deepest.

"This actually looks like that is sinking more on that side," said Greene, pointing.

A spokesman for DeKalb County Roads and Drainage Department said the hole is their issue but a fix is weeks away.

Giant uprooted trees like one on Woodway Drive in Stone Mountain are taking time, resources and taking priority with the county crews.

"We've had a lot of trees come down and they've taken top priority because you've got to get them out of the roadway," public works spokesman Burke Brennan said.

Strickland counted four trucks and two loaders on Woodway Drive working on the tree.

Brennan said they'll work seven days per week until the backlog of work is cleared.                 

"We can't be two places at once.  This has come at the expense of some of our more routine operations." 

Greene's yard will likely wait until the end of the month.  She fears it'll move up the list once a kid falls in.

"That's all it's going to take is a freak accident."

In Alpharetta, Channel 2's Tom Regan found businesses that specialize in sealing leaky basements are also scrambling to meet customers' needs.

Homeowner David Scott showed Regan the steps he's taking to waterproof his basement after water started seeping through cracks in his walls.

"It's been bone-dry and this is the first time we've noticed water in the last 10 or 12 years," Scott said.

Mike Trotter, with Trotter Co., is a veteran of foundation repair and waterproofing, He told Regan his phone has not stopped ringing.

Trotter's crew used a jackhammer to dig out a small trench in a concrete floor Monday. They installed flashing against the wall to keep moisture out and a plastic channel to capture water and direct it to a sump pump.

Experts told Regan that if a homeowner notices a crack, even if there's no water coming through, they need to get it repaired before it gets bigger. They also recommend keeping gutters clean and downspouts clear to channel rainwater far from the foundation.

WSBTV