COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
Chris Kilgus has had some close calls when the weather turns wet. And he's trying to find a way to avoid any more. If he can just figure out who can help.
"I've gotten kind of a runaround, I feel like," Kilgus said. "I've called probably seven different times. And each time, it's not our problem. Or they'll send someone out that says, 'Oh, it's not our problem or call the South Carolina Department of Transportation, or call Richland County, not the city.'"
Kilgus lives on Britton Lane in Columbia, a few blocks south of the VA Hospital. He says every time there's any substantial rain, his yard and those of his neighbors ends up looking like a lake.
All the water rushes in from an area behind their homes, overwhelming the drainage ditches and pipes that criss-cross the neighborhood.
Kilgus says the flooding has wrecked two lawnmowers. It has trashed an HVAC unit and a water heater next door.
Kilgus has had to replace duct work under the house and he says all of this has also taken a toll on his peace of mind.
"When it rains, having to worry about your car going underwater or, you know, it getting into the crawlspace and, you know, getting into the HVAC unit and growing mold or anything that can happen. Little things like that, they add up," Kilgus said.
Kilgus says when he bought the house 3 years ago, he had no idea that flooding was ever going to be a problem until just a few days before the transaction closed. And that's when his agent told him he might want to think about getting flood insurance. He followed that advice.
I've had one claim that I filed and it knocked my premium up about, I think probably $50 or $60 more a month now that I've had to file," Kilgus said.
This is where things get a bit complicated. Kilgus lives in the city of Columbia, and has directed many of his complaints to the city, but a city spokeswoman says the area where the floodwaters originate is a Transportation Department easement and the street itself, she says, is DOT property. Part of that neighborhood is in Richland County.
We've asked the DOT to check into this matter. They are working on it, but so far there has been no response.
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