KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) — An unwanted lake has popped up along Greenbrier Street, and residents are not happy about it.
“We just need to get this fixed,” said Lisa Teel, daughter of Joyce Evans.
It has been three days since Monday’s storm, and Teel’s mom, Joyce Evans, still has an inch of rainwater in her home. Since the rainwater has taken so long to recede, Evans has lost a lot of her belongings, some of which carry decade-old memories.
Teel one of the few things that were not destroyed were handwritten letters from Evans’ late husband. After so much was destroyed, she said the letters are bringing much-needed joy.
“The street and the driveway are still flooded, so we can’t get trucks in here to do the cleaning,” Teel said. “So we’re just trying to get some of her clothes and things like that out so they’re not ruined, and just trying to get some things that we know are going to be unfortunately thrown away.”
According to Stephen Neddo, Kanawha County Planning Director, the problem is a collapsed and clogged culvert just down the street at the Capitol Flea Market.
“It’s literally created a lake in people’s front yards, and the water is draining right now at a very slow rate, and it’s because these culverts are stopped up,” Neddo said.
13 News talked to Jaime Fuentes, the leaseholder of the Capitol Flea Market, who said he has already contacted a contractor to fix the problem, but there is no date for when the culvert will be fully fixed and operational.
Even with a plan to fix the problem underway, Neddo said they will need to proceed cautiously.
“This is one of the most serious issues right now, since this flooding that has occurred in the last few days,” he said. “And this is one of the big problems still remaining.”
The county issued an emergency notice on Tuesday to Fuentes and John Meadows, who own the Capitol Flee Market property, but residents have yet to receive any relief.
“I know they were issued a citation, and we’re happy about that, but it’s got to be enforced, and somebody needs to make them do what they should have done weeks ago,” Teel said.
Neddo said if something is not done soon, the county will step in.
“Worst case scenario, if there is a problem with that landowner and the leaseholder doing the issue, then the county will step in, and we’ll take drastic actions, and we’ll fix it and charge the people appropriately,” he said.
With people’s homes and safety at risk, locals are urging them to hurry up.