ATLANTA — A pop-up storm Tuesday hit Peoplestown, putting a wave of worry on neighbors. Viewers sent 11Alive videos of muddy flood waters on the streets of southeast Atlanta.
Neighbors who live in the area say they want the city to take action now.
Wednesday night, yellow caution tape and signs warning that the area has been contaminated with raw sewage line a grassy area on Atlanta Ave. On Tuesday, neighbors say it looked like an overflowing bathtub fearing a repeat in the forecast the following day.
"I was really nervous this morning, really nervous, terrified as a matter of fact," said Lillian Miller. She sent us video from her front porch showing rain water mixed with sewage spilling out of manholes. Other videos showed streets and yards completely flooded.
"All of a sudden I smelled this horrible smell, raw human sewage across the street," recalled Miller.
Ben Sian saw more destruction, documenting it with his phone.
"There were geysers coming up and displacing the manhole covers," he said.
Over the course of 30 minutes, Sian said his backyard filled with brown, dirty water that crept into his basement.
"I have a daughter I’m going to have to ask her not to go in our backyard until a few rains hopefully wash this away," said Sian.
Flooding issues have plagued the community since at least 2012. In 2014, Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed led a plan to remedy the situation. As part of it, the city bought and tore down more than two dozen homes.
The goal was to build a park and retention ponds to catch water overflow. Pending litigation has brought the project to a complete stop. Because of COVID-19, litigation might not get heard until next year, at the earliest.
"The neighborhood as a whole sees and suffers through the flooding, we want a solution," said Sian.
Miller said rainy forecasts presents stress for neighbors.
"Peoplestown and Summerhill are always constantly anxious and worried about storms because it does still flood and it floods with human sewage and this is where our babies sleep," Miller explained. "This is where our children play. This is where our dogs walk and where we grow vegetables. This is our neighborhood."
In a statement to 11 Alive the Department of Watershed Management spokesperson wrote:
"The amount of rain over a short period of time exceeded the capacity of system and resulted in rain-induced overflows from the manholes.
DWM will continue to inspect and clean the catch-basins and inlet structures to remove debris and restore system storage capacity. A contractor will be used to provide cleaning and disinfection for any impacted residences that experienced flooding or sewer back-ups."
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