Welcome to Herndon - a Town of Indifference

On September 8, 2011, almost two years to the day of moving to the Town of Herndon (ToH), the entire first floor of our home was flooded. Since our home was not in a flood zone we didn’t purchase flood insurance. In the end we had to pay over $12,000 out of pocket for house repairs - this didn’t include the emotional damages left on the children. The worst part is that the flooding was through no fault of our own. It was the ToH’s storm drains that backed up and sent water spewing from our laundry room drain which quickly spread into our kitchen, dining room, living room, hallways, stairs, bathroom, and so on. Besides our walls and pillars, we sustained damage to our furniture and cabinets. Then there was the mold. So we called the ToH and asked for assistance. Afterall, it was the city’s drains that sent water into our home. The town attorney sent us a letter informing us that the ToH was not responsible and that the cost of repairs were solely our own responsibility. We then contacted Fairfax County but they said the issue belonged to the ToH. We then called FEMA and they basically said the same thing and that unless the ToH declared this area a disaster zone there was nothing FEMA could do. We contacted the ToH again and their stance did not change - the area would not be declared a disaster zone, even after we told them that the home across the street also experienced flooding. They reasserted that the cost of repairs was ours alone. Then, to add insult to injury, shortly afterwards we received notice from the ToH that our taxes were being increased in order to pay for new and improved storm drains. Herndon is a lovely town, and a wealthy one - $12,000 is a drop in the bucket for them.  So what does it say about the local government when they can so easily dodge their responsibility and fail their residents in need.