BROOKHAVEN, Ga. — It isn’t a river rapid. But it is the intense flow of water from Saturday afternoon in the backyards of several homes along Cartecay Drive.
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Pouring from one yard to the next. Ring camera captured the water filling the backyard, washing away lawn furniture.
“We have class two rapids on somedays,” said homeowner Gina Gianfagna.
They’ve had water come through their yards before. But over the weekend, the water washed away fences and even entered multiple homes, destroying carpets and flooring.
“The carpets were soaking wet and the fence was on the other side of the yard,” homeowner Steven Pound said.
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It’s exactly what the group of Brookhaven neighbors saw coming, as the storm water flow increased over the years.
They blame the city for permitting new development in the area while not maintaining storm water drainage.
Neighbor Grant Hudgins told Channel 2′s Candace McCowan that the city doesn’t seem to want to help them.
They’ve been pleading with the city to step in. But in a letter, the city is telling the homeowners it’s “not liable.”
“When you collect the revenue to take over storm water you have an obligation to manage it and that’s not happening,” Gianfagna said.
Channel 2 Action News reached out to the city of Brookhaven on Monday.
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“The city is not responsible for and has no control over stormwater damage to private property,” a spokesman said.
But the neighbors point to a massive pipe running under their yards, saying it’s the city’s job to replace it.
While they continue to go back and forth, they’re worried for their kids safety and they say the only thing going down the drain during a heavy downpour is their property value.
“We feel trapped,” Pound said. “Until this gets fixed we are really beholden to the city to come with a solution before we can do anything with our lives.”
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