MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — After a year and a half of persistent water damage and flooding, a Moundsville resident reached out to NEWS9 looking for answers.
After U.S. 250 was resurfaced, Michael Palmer started to experience problems at his residence along Madison Drive.
Every time the rain falls or snow melts, Palmer said water runs off into his yard, porch and even in his home.
"When they redid the blacktop, they didn’t grade it properly, so the grading, instead of it running into the culvert, it runs down over this hill into my house,” Palmer said.
Since the erosion has occurred, Palmer has concerns for termite and black mold damage. He is also making note of all the destruction.
I’m noticing, this bedroom right here where the water sits, the floor is sagging down,” Palmer described. “The foundation is being eroded. The wall is soft; it’s done some serious damage.
Palmer said he’s reached out to officials regarding his concerns.
"I’ve called WVDOT,” he said. “They’ve never got back to me. I’ve called several times to give me a call back, nothing. I reached out to a friend of mine, he reached out to the state, he works for the state. They came, took a long look, and said, 'Yes, it looks bad,’ then left.
“Ideally, I want them to fix the way the road is, so it stops bringing rain down. I want them to look at the foundation of my house, make sure I don’t have mold. The damage that’s been done over the years, I want them to take care of that.”
After taking to Facebook, State Delegate Charles Reynolds reached out to Palmer concerned.
He was surprised the resident didn’t lose everything on his hillside, including an outdoor A/C unit. As a step in the right direction, he reached out to Dave Brabham, a regional DOT engineer.
"When they got a hold of me, I instantly started working with the department of transportation because we all saw the video; it’s crazy,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the ditching on U.S. 250 needs cleaned up to prevent clogging and water runoff.
"Over a period of time as equipment was cut back, employees were cut back,” Reynolds said. “There was no ditching being done. So, now we’re playing catch up, and I would say, in my personal belief, this is what caused the problem on Madison Drive.
Reynolds hopes the issue is taken care of for Palmer, and if other residents are experiencing similar problems, they should not suffer in silence.
“Reach out to your delegates, your senators and let them know,” Reynolds said. “We can help with what we can. We cannot promise anything, none of us would. But we surely try because we all care about our county.”
Lives on the wrong part of the mound