Haverhill resident whose home was damaged by sinkhole says city is responsible
HAVERHILL - A Haverhill woman whose home was severely damaged by last week's downpours is blaming the city for the thousands of dollars in repairs she now needs.
The heavy rain caused a brook that runs near Megan Bowen's home to overflow, sending the floodwater down Salem Street and into her front yard. A sinkhole developed and her basement and stairs were severely damaged.
In all, Bowen said it costs $45,000 for landscapers to fix the 6-foot deep sinkhole and the foundation next to her house and $30,000 to replace her appliances. She said she and her partner don't have the funds to pay for everything and she blames the city for all the damage.
"I call it a water incident, not a flood, because it's the city culvert and drain system failures," said Bowen.
Surveillance video from her backyard shows the floodwaters pouring in from the street above, the city drains not doing much to prevent the water from pouring in.
Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini said Bowen doesn't qualify for state of federal emergency funding for repairs because the flooding wasn't high enough.
"We're looking for resources, we're delivering sandbags," said Fiorentini.
Bowen argued her home has been here since 1875 and the brook even longer.
"The issue isn't my house or the brook. It's the infrastructure that the city has put in place," said Bowen. "I pay taxes just like everyone else and when the city infrastructure fails and damages my property, I do think that the city is responsible for that."
The city delivered sandbags to Bowen's home ahead of any future rain.
