Whiteville veteran’s home flooded from nearby stormwater pipe
WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — A Marine veteran in Whiteville says he and his family are at a loss after storm water caused damage to their home.
Ezra Lanctot lives with his wife and 3-month-old son on North Thompson Street. He says last week, a stormwater outflow pipe across the street became overwhelmed with rainwater.
That water eventually rose all the way up to his front door. While the inside of the house wasn’t submerged, the water reached underneath the foundation—which led to water damage and mold growth.
Lanctot says even though the house isn’t in a flood area, he and his wife bought flood insurance before they moved in.
He says he didn’t find out until after $60,000 in damages that the coverage was never activated.
“When we bought the house, we specifically looked for these types of issues; and then to have these types of issues show up after we did our due diligence to make sure that this was not an issue, it was surprising to start with,” Lanctot said. “You start to question yourself as far as, like, did I make the right decision?”
Lactot isn’t the only one to experience flooding. His next door neighbor Ethan Bass—a Whiteville native—says the area has been prone to flooding for years.
“We have a storm drain at the back of our yard, and I remember that we actually had water coming out of it into our yard; and it’s like as soon as we get any amount of rain, the water gets backed up and starts coming out of the drain onto our properties,” Bass recalled.
Bass says last week was the first time a home was damaged by the water. He says he’s even considered selling his own home.
“It’s like, on one hand, you don’t want to put the problem on somebody else,” Bass said. “But on the other hand, it’s like, I don’t want to be stuck in a situation to where I live in a house that I can’t live in and then I also can’t sell it.”
Lanctot says he’s been in contact with the city to resolve the issue.
WWAY reached out to City Manager Darren Currie, who told us the city is aware of the issue and is working to find a solution.
“Unfortunately, it’s in a low point there in the community, and once it rains so hard, there again, the drains just can’t keep up,” Currie said.
As Lanctot and his family move their belongings, he says he wants to start an organization to help homeowners in similar situations.
“Whether they be veterans or just working class Americans that are that one disaster a way from losing their house. They are responsible individuals that do their part, pay their taxes, have insurance, but they still can fall through the cracks as we did,” he said.
A GoFundMe has been started for Lanctot and his family, which has already raised more than $12,000. You can view that GoFundMe here.
