On Sept 7 a massive storm came through my area causing a flash flood to occur. We had over 3 feet of water in our walk out basement and the backyard was destroyed. We had to replace the furnace, fix the hot water heater, remove dry wall and carpeting, and clean out about 2" of mud from every corner of the basement. Running total of repairs is $40k. We did not have flood insurance because we weren't in a flood zone. We have since purchased flood insurance and take full ownership of these repairs.

Unfortunately, that's not the real problem. It wasn't till the next day did we really see what the true damage was. Our home was built in the late 70's and included an easement to allow a small creek that starts up by Sewell Mill Library to run underneath our property. Our property and our neighbors on either side of us were never originally on the plat for the Weatherstone neighborhood. This was amended in 1977 to include our three homes with an easement clearly labeled and stating all creeks, easements, and drains were the property of the county. Needless to say, the county has come back and refuses to help because the plat doesn't clearly state "pipe" and we must have put the pipe in ourselves.

We are on the hook for $250k-$500k in repairs and this is something no insurance will ever pay for. The county dropped the ball getting any type of FEMA support. From my understanding FEMA wouldn't even pay for the repair because it's not livable space, so that's a mote point. Speaking with civil engineers all of them are agreeing we need to replace the full pipe due to the age. In order to do this, we will need to remove our back deck and patio, which is another ~$40k to remove and replace.

It was never disclosed to us when we purchased the home last year that we would be responsible for a 121’ foot long 4.5’ diameter sewer pipe that runs the full length of our property. I have no clue how we could even maintain it as neither opening is on our property. It's ridiculous that the county is hiding behind poor record keeping and refuses to assist. For example, they won't even inspect the pipe. We're having to pay $7200 for someone to look at the pipe and draw up plans on the repair.

Every time it rains the hole continues to grow in size and is now less than ten inches away from the foundation of our house. It’s another $12,000 just to shore up the foundation till we can sort out what to do about the cracked pipe and sinkhole. Meanwhile the retention pond at Sewell Mill Library continues to drain through my property via this creek.

I’m absolutely tired of waking up every day depressed by the situation. I’m sick and tired of talking and thinking about the cost of the repairs. I can’t begin any repairs in my basement till we sort out the repairs for the sinkhole. We’re facing having to foreclose on the property because we can’t afford the repairs. We worked hard to save up to purchase our home last year and words can’t describe what it feels like to not only lose our home, but all of the equity we’ve built. No homeowner ever expects they will be responsible for something like this. Nor can any homeowner afford to make these repairs. 

I’m disgusted with the response we have received from the county and now the Commissioner ignores us when we try to get any information. I feel like Cobb County has left us high and dry and cares more about sports teams than it does its residents and maintaining infrastructure. 

R Klein

I want to put in writing what occurred at Covered Bridge Condominiums (CB)  here where I live which is along Powers Ferry Road and am on the Board of Directors here at CB.  The September 7, 2021 impacted, damaged and or totaled approximately 24 condos and vehicles here at CB as well as our CB clubhouse.  I received a call in the early morning hours of September 8, 2021 at approximately 12.30 am from a homeowner who lives on Stoney Creek on one of our 11 streets here at CB.  The water in the Rottenwood Creek which runs through our CB community had risen above its creek banks and went into several condos along Rottenwood Creek as well as many other condos and into cars and into our pool area, our pool room, and into our clubhouse.  These condos including our clubhouse had as much as a foot or more of standing water and several homeowners had to move to hotels as their condos were and are  basically still ruined.  The CB clubhouse is a total loss.  Homeowners are well into over $50,000 to repair and restore their condos and our CB clubhouse to repair it back to at least a minimum appears it may cost CB upwards of over at least $70,000.

How did this happen?  I believe it is because Cobb County’s leadership has failed its residents because Cobb County leadership has never taken care of its infrastructure and storm drainage issues.  Cobb County leadership received a call from GEMA the morning of September 8, 2021 at approximately 9.07 am asking if Cobb County leadership of Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairperson Lisa Cupid needed their assistance in helping Cobb County residents because of the night before September 7, 2021 mass flooding and Chairperson Lisa Cupid said no, there is hardly any flooding and we do not need help.

I ask that Cobb County leadership step up to the plate and do the right procedures for its residents who call Cobb County home and assist those impacted and devastated by the September 7, 2021 flooding and render financial aid and assistance to these people affected by this mass flooding.  I believe it is because of Cobb County’s failure to address and correct its storm drainage and infrastructure that hundreds of Cobb County residents are now spending thousands of dollars of their hard earned money including our CB condo clubhouse as an association and its homeowners and residents to repair their homes and the CB clubhouse.  I called Cobb EMS and they noted our damages here at CB yet on the list of homes and clubhouses that were impacted and devastated by the September 7, 2021 flooding there was not one CB condo nor our clubhouse on the Cobb County storm damage list.  Why?

I also want to add to this story that Rottingwood Creek was the primary cause of damage to approximately two dozen condos and our clubhouse that is now a total loss at our Covered Bridge Condominium Homeowners Association here In the City of Marietta, GA on Powers Ferry Road.  Rottingwood Creek runs right through our Covered Bridge Condo complex and also runs through Cedar Canyon Condo complex which is located next to us.  Rottingwood Creek is near the new Baseball stadium and Bob Callan trail and before the September 7, 2021 storm was full of debris, trees, household items, etc. and to my knowledge has never been cleaned out by Cobb County which is the responsibility of Cobb County as it is part of their land and their infrastructure.  Rottingwood Creek overflowed its banks it appears because of not being cleaned out by Cobb County and thus Caused damage to our approximately 24 condos and our clubhouse which is up to approximately $100,000 loss and was not in the flood plain nor were most of the condos that were damaged at Covered Bridge.  Most of our damage here at Covered Bridge condo complex is primarily it appears the fault Of Cobb County and their department who is responsible for keeping the creeks free of debris and it appears Rottingwood Creek has never been cleaned out prior to the September 7, 2021 storm.  If this would have been cleaned out, I believe the damage to all at Covered Bridge condo complex would not have occurred or at most would have been minimal.

Cobb County leadership and its various departments, I ask that you please step up to the plate and responsibility for and assist those affected in Cobb County by the September 7, 2021 storm.

Kathy Slough

Homeowner at Covered Bridge condos since 2004

My flood story begins many years ago. I live directly behind the Southwest corner of the East Valley elementary school property on Sunny Lane.  The flooding during the  storm on September 7th was the worst I have experienced in the 30+ years I have been in my house. I have much of my yard landscaped with pine stray…it was all washed away completely, none was left. This all had to be replaced. I know this is minor compare to the unfortunate folks that may, or have, lost their home.

When the house was first purchased in the 1980s, there would be flooding in the yard during extended heavy rain events. This would happen occasionally once a year or so. During those events the crawl space would flood, even with a sump pump installed. The pump would just get overwhelmed. The HVAC unit was located in the crawlspace, over the years I had to replace the HVAC unit twice, at considerable cost. After the third time, I had the unit relocated to the attic, even more cost!

As the years progressed, the flooding has gotten progressively worse. Now I have a stream running through my yard from the backyard across the front yard for just about any rain event that is constant for even a portion of the day. It is like a dry creek bed across my front yard until it rains. Heavy storms will flood the yard and create a major flow through the front yard in a short amount of time. The yard will be 6” deep in water in many areas, most of the back yard will flood.  The crawlspace continues to flood during the heavier rain events. During the September 7th storm the entire yard, front & rear, was at least 6’-8” deep with fast flowing water washing away everything as noted above.

In my opinion, one major cause of this (increasingly worsening) issue appears to be run-off from East Valley Elementary, and properties “uphill” from my house.

Over the years East Valley elementary school has expanded, they installed portable class rooms in the rear of the property, they put a gravel running track in the rear playground, and generally took away the ability for the ground to absorb the water. At one point a retention basin was installed at the school property directly behind my house, at the time a berm was also created along the rear of the property to direct the water runoff to the basin. I want to say this was 15-20 years ago. Today the berm is all but gone, eroded and washed away, with very little water being directed to the retention basin. The water just drains to the properties behind the school, and then down to my property.

I don’t know for certain if any new house/neighborhood construction over the years has contributed to this issue. Looking at a terrain map would indicate that any new development in those 30+ years was probably on the “other side” of the terrain drain patterns. There has not been any new development on Sunny Lane.

I am not a civil engineer, I am an architectural engineer, so although I don’t practice in the field of civil engineering, I am somewhat familiar with the issues and concepts, so my above evaluation is not “expert”, but it is from a somewhat knowledgeable perspective.

I have some photos of the yard flooded over the years, unfortunately I do not have photos from Sept 7th.

Thank you for all the work you have been doing for the community. Let me know if you have questions or if I can help. I have missed the zoom meetings you have organized due to travel & family commitments, but I will try to be more engaged in the future.

Thank you,

Andrew Beldecos

Below is a copy of the Water Department’s drawing of our property … of which they seem to have no record.

 DRAWING REDACTED

As it says below, although the site was supposed to be cleared of all vegetation and trees, it was not.  Said vegetation and trees was the reason the drain blocked and diverted water to the storage basin.

  DRAWING REDACTED

As it says below, no fill dirt was supposed to be brought in and the elevations were supposed to be left at 1005’ at the drain level, only climbing as it approached other property.

 DRAWING REDACTED

The 9600 cubic yards of fill that WAS brought in … and left there … is the reason there was no storage basin to hold the water that backed up.  It was diverted in to the neighboring basements instead.

On September 7, 2021, we had limbs fall and damage our roof and gutter.  With the wind and limbs, we had to replace our entire roof, 59.33 squares and replace the ceiling in one room.  Then we found the erosion of the creek bank, we lost about 20’x8’ of our yard.  The roof was covered by insurance a cost of $26K and an estimate for the erosion $55K.  Erosion was inspected by Cobb County and we were told there was nothing they were responsible to do even though it within 25’ of the road it flowed under.

Greg Conway

We suffered significant damage at 2421 Weatherford Ct in the Weatherstone Subdivision.  We had over 3 feet of water that completely damaged the first level of our home with over an estimated $60,000.00 in damages to the house and backyard property.  We have had to rely on family and friends to assist us with cleanup which took over a month alone.  This has been a financial hardship on us as we have had to maneuver our nest egg to cover costs beyond what our flood insurance was able to cover.  This is obviously a tremendous burden on the neighborhood as I can see people are nervous (us included) about if or when this can happen again.  Just last week we began to see the county bring in equipment to address the issue near the creek.  We hope and pray that this will address the issue otherwise we will have to strongly consider moving……

David Barron