MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Montgomery County officials have come forward and admitted pumps meant to drain storm water inadvertently filled the Farmington neighborhood up with thousands of gallons of water.
Cell phone video captured the moments Roy and Keysha Nelson woke up Monday morning and discovered a sinkhole and floodwaters leading up to their backyard.
The two built their home in the Farmington neighborhood in 2022.
“I guess they started pumping the water into this basin that's directly behind my home, and once the basin starts to fill, it had nowhere else to go,” Roy said.
County officials confirmed Olympic-sized pool amounts of water started rushing into the neighborhood during an attempt to pump water from the Dunlop area to an injection well in the Farmington subdivision. They believe that well may have become clogged or overwhelmed.
The Nelsons urged anyone moving to Montgomery County to buy flood insurance.
“Make sure — no matter what you do — you have flood insurance and you have sinkhole insurance,” Roy said. “A lot of families out here don't have flood insurance and their home has flooded twice in the last month. They're having to pay money out of their pockets, they're having to get Airbnbs and hotels.”
Keysha told News 2 she's keeping her mother's heirlooms in her car and are staying prepared in case their home is swallowed by the sinkhole. The couple has a 5-year-old and a 15-year-old and are paying to stay at an Airbnb — after just making their mortgage payment. Now, the couple is asking the county, or the developer who built their home two years ago, to buy it back.
“We most likely probably will end up in bankruptcy due to this unless someone steps up and [does] the right thing," Keysha said. It's okay. everyone makes mistakes. It's okay, but be accountable. Do the right thing."
As the couple continues their uncertain journey, Roy said the family's faith is getting them through it.
“My family's here by the grace of God. Only by the grace of God," Roy said. "This happened overnight while we were asleep and if it had been a little bit further up that hill, who knows what would have happened."
In a statement, the county said they are looking for “long-term solutions" for flooding. Next Tuesday, there will be a "flood resource fair" at 5 p.m. at Kirkwood High School.
