Disabled vet among homeowners frustrated by ongoing flooding issues in Atlanta neighborhood

ATLANTA - Homeowners in one Atlanta neighborhood said flooding has been an ongoing issue for nearly a decade and one that’s been overlooked by the city despite numerous attempts to contact 311 for help.

One resident told FOX 5 he was aware his home was in a flood zone when he purchased it in March 2020, but didn’t think it could get as bad as it has in the past or most recently when storms hit on Monday.

"It just got out of hand," homeowner Jerome Sheats said Tuesday.

Sheats said within a matter of minutes, floodwaters Monday reached the steps of his front porch. Video from his doorbell camera shows items floating through the yard of his home on Redford Drive.

"It would rain for like 10 minutes, I’d notice that the backyard would be flooded, the front yard would be flooded, and it varies from like time to time," he explained.

The Air Force veteran, who suffers from PTSD and anxiety, said this isn’t the first time it’s happened, but it is the worst he’s seen since moving in two and half years ago.

"The backyard…it was like a complete river back there. My fences were just...toppled," he recalled.

Sheats told FOX 5 while the flooding has caused damage to his yard and his car, it’s also created health and safety concerns.

"Water is coming from the sewage as well so it’s also just very unsanitary," he said.

According to Sheats, calls made to ATL 311 haven’t been much help either.

"I made multiple calls to the city to have them come out and they say they would do stuff and then the next day it would rain and just flood again," he said.

The disabled veteran said the problem has put a bit of a damper on his experience being a first-time home buyer as it triggers his anxiety anytime it looks like it’s going to rain.

"Sometimes in the middle of the night, I have to hop up and see if like it is flooding out here because my car could be floating away or water could be coming inside," Sheats said. "The city’s problem is damaging my property and it seems like ’oh well’."

Atlanta City Councilman Jason Winston, who represents residents in the area, said in response to a media request from FOX 5 this was the first he’d heard of the issue. A statement from Winston reads in-part:

"I’ve been in contact with Wastewater Management, and they will have someone out as soon as possible to assess the flooding on his property. This assessment will help us determine next steps and hopefully remedy the situation."

A spokesperson for Mayor Andre Dickens’ office also said in response to an inquiry from FOX 5, that this was the first they’d heard of the problem and they are also looking into it. Winston told FOX 5 there should be a crew out to investigate first thing Wednesday morning.