Fran MatthewsHENDERSONVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
A home that a Hendersonville woman purchased two years ago has become a massive headache for her after flooding has repeatedly damaged the house.
When Fran Matthews bought her Hendersonville home, she spent thousands of dollars landscaping the backyard. She thought that a hill located behind property would be an advantage to having the property, until it started to rain.
"The rain comes down my hill and floods into my wall and into my house," said Matthews. "I've replaced my floors two times, and I put in a new driveway."
She showed Channel 4 pictures showing the flooding that occurs after each down pour.
"I'm homeless. I'm paying a mortgage on a home I can't live in," said Matthews.
She said she had a contractor ask the city if she could build a drainage system around the home to divert the water.
However, Matthews said the contractor was told that she can't do that.
"If we do that, the water diverted from my home could go into the street. (The city said they) don't have enough grates to hold the water," said Matthews.
City officials responded Sunday when Channel 4 started to ask questions.
"This is the first the mayor, the chair of the public works committee or I have heard about it," said Hendersonville Director of Public Works Jerry Horton. "Certainly she has the right to protect her property. There must be a miscommunication if she's been told she can't do work on her property. The city won't do the work. That might be part of the miscommunication. I'm confident our engineers will come up with a solution to alleviate her problem.
Matthews said she didn't find out about the flooding issues until she spoke with her neighbors after she bought the house.
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