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Homeowner upset over house flooding
A DeKalb County homeowner said whenever there is a heavy rain, his property and house floods due to trash piled up near his home.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - One DeKalb County homeowner said he is fed up after his home floods whenever there is heavy rain.
County officials said trash from the nearby homeless community is to blame.
"I have no sense of comfort in something I have worked my entire life," homeowner Thomas Hunter said.
When it rains it pours is how the saying goes but for Thomas Hunter on Glenwood Avenue when it rains it floods.
Hunter shot a video that shows the deluge of water after it rains pouring into his backyard from a clogged drain next door.
"Sometimes beavers will come out and build a dam but this isn’t anything a beaver would have done. This is manmade trash," Hunter said.
The issue? Piles of filth clogging the ditch and drainage system behind a church property next door.
"I have seen days where it will seem like a normal rain outside and my backyard is a swamp out of nowhere," Hunter said.
The video shows the water so deep it picked up a 600-pound water heater like it’s a toy. Outside the home, there is a water line that shows just how high the water gets.
Hunter moved into the property in February and has made countless calls to the county.
The county said the ditch is located behind the Mt. Tabor Missionary Baptist Church on Private property so there’s nothing they can do.
The true issue stems from the homeless community in the area who officials report are responsible for dumping the trash into nearby drains which ultimately ends up in the trash graveyard behind the church.
"I’ve already spent at least two grand and I know there’s at least another six grand to go in terms of mold removal," Hunter said.
Hunter has taken things into his own hands. He gathered about two tons of sand and filled over 120 bags to build a barrier around part of his home hoping it will help.
"I spent my entire savings trying to get this house. If this goes under and I have no help for it, then I lose everything I have," Hunter said.
The county issued a warning to the church and will be inspected by code enforcement within the next week.
FOX 5 reached out to the Pastor of the Church who told our reporter the trash has been an issue for years.
The pastor said those living nearby refuse to stop dumping their trash which the church has to pay the price for.
The county has vowed to help the homeless community in the area in hopes it will help.
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