KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) — It has been over 24 hours since floodwaters came rushing through Kanawha County, destroying homes and leaving behind debris.
The floodwater has begun to recede across the county, but residents along Greenbrier Street said their homes are still underwater.
“There’s eight inches of water in my house,” said Joyce Evans, Greenbrier Street Resident. “I’m going to have to get rid of a whole lot of memories, but things happen.”
Evans, as well as other residents, said the problem is not only the flooding itself, but also a collapsed culvert located down the street from their homes.
According to residents, the culvert located at the Capitol Flea Market collapsed in April, but nothing has been done about it for months. Now, they are the ones suffering the repercussions.
“I never had a problem until that fell in, so I’m hoping they can get it fixed,” Evans said. “If it rains again, I may be hurting, but we’re just trying to do the best we can.”
Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango confirmed that the culvert is the cause of the recurring water on Greenbrier Street, and he said the county is actively fixing the problem.
On Tuesday, Aug. 16, the county issued an emergency notice to Jaime Fuentes, who leases the property, as well as John Meadows Jr. and Darlene Meadows, who own the property, where the culvert is located.
The notice reads, “Your property is the site of recurring flooding on Greenbrier Street which poses an imminent and ongoing threat to public health, safety and welfare.”
The notice also advises Fuentes and John and Darlene Meadows to contact the Kanawha County Planning Department immediately with an acceptable corrective plan of action.
13 News reached out to Fuentes and John Meadows Tuesday afternoon, who both said the other is responsible for maintenance on the property, but with this emergency notice, they will both have to clean up the mess.