Jareb McClain said torrential rain inundated his yard and basement as severe weather moved through the area. As of Thursday, the family was still sorting through damaged belongings and discarding items that could not be salvaged.
McClain pointed to a water line left behind by the flooding and described the aftermath inside the home.
"There's dirt everywhere," McClain pointed out.
He said the flooding happened quickly after water began entering the driveway.
"As soon as I saw the water come onto the driveway, which is the sign, it's just going to rise because in 90 seconds it went up a whole foot," he said.
McClain said he first realized the severity of the situation during the storm.
"It's thunder and lightning; I heard boom. And the metal just buckled and gave way. And I just heard this rush of water," he recalled.
According to McClain, nearly 14 inches of rain fell during the event. He said a laundry basket could be seen floating down the hallway as water entered the home. The flooding damaged personal belongings, including items belonging to the family's children.
"Our kids, you know, stuff was floating around their shoes, electric guitar and PVC amplifier are ruined," he said.
McClain said the latest flooding follows similar incidents in 2022 and 2024 during Helene, making this the third flood at the property in four years.
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He said he believes drainage infrastructure is contributing to the problem.
"The covers are way undersized. And this has happened to our neighbors downstream as well, just undersized. And so it's like a dam. So the water builds up and enters places it shouldn't and actually breached," he said.
McClain said he has contacted the city multiple times seeking culvert and drainage improvements. He said city representatives visited after the first and second flooding events, but he was told improvements were unlikely.
"The answer was that there wasn't the money to improve the culverts and that there really wasn't going to be a plan for that either because of all the consequences downstream. So there wasn't really a way forward," McClain said.
This week, McClain again contacted the city and said he received a response indicating officials are reviewing the family's concerns and planning a meeting.
"It's very stressful and traumatic. You know, as you can imagine, for my wife and my sons, we're being very patient. But this is, you know, third time," he said.
The city has also been contacted for information about potential drainage improvements in the neighborhood. No additional information was immediately available.
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