COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The threat of rain on Friday night into the weekend worries hundreds of families in Cobb County.
Six months ago, historic flooding damaged their homes. Today, those flood victims are stuck in the same place and still looking for help.
More than 250 homes were reportedly damaged.
“We are your citizens. We are your taxpayers. We are your voters. How much do you want us to support you?” said Zhojin Song.
Song and her husband, Jack Zhang, showed Channel 2′s Chris Jose the damage to their house on Jesters Court.
“All of a sudden just tsunami like. Waves of water,” said Zhang.
Zhang said he had to rescue his daughter from the fast-moving water.
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“I got a hold of her and pulled her out of the water,” said Zhang. “That’s why my wife is still scared every time it rains. She couldn’t sleep.”
The damage in East Cobb did not meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s criteria for disaster declaration. SBA loans are available, but some victims told Jose they don’t want to borrow money that would cause more debt.
“That’s their (Cobb County’s) plan. Stick the homeowners in drowning debt,” said Hill Wright.
Wright, an East Cobb resident, is spearheading the effort to get flood victims some help.
“There really isn’t a plan to maintain storm water infrastructure in this county,” said Wright. “There are people in danger of losing their homes.”
Rebecca Klein’s home is inches away from a giant sinkhole.
Cobb County said it’s not responsible for a pipe that failed underneath her backyard because it doesn’t have a record of it.
She’s not the only one, but Cobb County said it can’t pay to repair something it doesn’t own.
“Unless a homeowner can prove that they’re innocent because there happens to be a record that exists, they’ll say, you know, ‘We don’t know anything about this. This was yours,’” said Wright. “It’s a community problem. It’s not just really a homeowner problem, and we need a way to solve it. And ultimately, we need a way to fund it.”
Zhang showed the communication between his family and the county. One document shows Cobb County signed off on the inspection.
“We depend on the county to protect the public interest,” said Zhang. “I wish the county would take responsibility and fix their mistakes.”
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