2009 Atlanta Flood Homeowners Share their Stories

Photo Courtesy of Nathan Fowler/Nathan Fowler Photography

Ants climbing up a kitchen wall. A dead fish in the front lawn. A parking area taken out.

Atlanta-area homeowners faced such problems recently as the Atlanta Flood of 2009 poured more than a foot of rain and tons of hardship and expenses on the area. The torrent that began in overnight hours of Sept. 20-21 actually had several days of rain leading up to it, saturating the landscape and swelling waterways near flood stage.

When the emergency hit, people faced various problems.

Woodstock resident Betty Miller arrived home Sunday morning from Las Vegas to news that a water spot some 18 inches wide had formed on her kitchen ceiling. The kitchen was being painted already, so the water just added to the mess. On Monday, the spot grew and began dripping on the floor. The roof is less than a year old, and as of Tuesday morning, the roofer (no doubt slammed with business) had not returned Miller’s call. Miller’s husband Brian has drilled holes in the ceiling to alleviate water pressure, and water is dripping into a bucket in the kitchen.

Adding to the disruption, ants entered Miller’s house, forcing a call to an exterminator.

John’s Creek resident Erik Wolf had serious flooding to his lawn as well as drywall damage in his ceiling. Water covered his yard from the back to the street, an area of some 200 feet. He put online a picture of a dead fish in his yard, which he thinks came from a nearby late. Repairs to 20 feet of his fence will be necessary. He also had to pull apart some of the fence in the front to allow the water to escape.

Stephanie Frost has suffered delays to costly renovations on a rental house that she and her husband own in Virginia Highlands. The house was listed in June, but foul weather has delayed some $30,000 in touch-ups. A parking pad was taken away by the rain, which she termed an economic enemy. The owners are considering re-renting the property, or perhaps a housesitter situation with staging, as the prime selling season has passed.