Hamblen County residents press commissioners to fix recurring flooding in 7 Oaks Subdivision

At the Hamblen County Commission meeting on Aug. 21, residents from 7 Oaks Subdivision described repeated home flooding and asked the county to complete drainage and roadwork they say is only partially finished.

Leo Shaloop, a 7 Oaks resident, told commissioners the neighborhood has experienced flooding for about 10 years and said his house flooded three times this year. "The flooding on 7 Oaks has gotten so bad that our house already this year has flooded 3 times, and it has been flooding every single year," Shaloop said. He showed the commission photos and measurements he said document curb and culvert problems and asked that the county take further steps.

Shaloop described recent work by the road department that he said raised a curb from about 1.75 inches to roughly 4 inches, short of the 6-to-8-inch curb height he said is standard. He also said the catch basin and an underlying culvert are largely filled with debris and asked why county crews did not construct the larger concrete structures installed at another nearby site on Catabaw Lane.

Neighbor Linda Shaloop said the flooding now reaches inside houses and criticized the pace of county action. "You are supposed to be our commissioner. Yes. And you're not doing anything about it," she said to Chairman Bobby Hahn, adding that county staff had visited her home multiple times but the problem persists.

Whitney Paxton, another neighbor, said flooding has damaged household property: "I spent $20,000 4 years ago putting custom hardwood floors in my home. Now then because the moisture is underneath my home in the crawl space, my floors are now buckling." Paxton said her swimming pool pump also was damaged and that she has experienced three floods in the past year.

Commissioners and staff acknowledged prior inspections. Chairman Bobby Hahn said staff had visited the area and asked the residents to "get with me, we'll address this and see what can be done on that." County staff referenced meetings with the planning commission and road superintendent and a report prepared by Clint Harrison; a county representative said some work had been performed but that cleanup of the ravine and full culvert clearing remained outstanding and may fall outside routine road maintenance.

Why it matters: Residents say the flooding has produced repeated property damage and reduced property values. They urged the commission to clear culverts, re-evaluate curb construction, and coordinate remaining easement maintenance.

Next steps: Chairman Hahn told the residents to meet with him to identify the specific house and scope of remaining work so staff can follow up. County staff indicated the request will be routed to the road commission and to parties who produced an earlier engineering report.