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Durham, North Carolina – Residents in one Durham neighborhood say they’ve gone through one emergency after another in recent weeks because of contractors digging in the wrong places.
Forty residents were forced out of their Trinity Park homes in early May due to a gas leak, and the neighborhood was without internet service for about a day when an AT&T line was cut.
“It’s been a number of issues over a very short period of time, I would say about a month,” Jennifer Franklin said Monday.
The latest aggravation for Franklin is the raw sewage in his home after contractors hit a sewer line last week.
“We realized that our toilet had basically exploded, sewage had come out of the toilet, and feces and urine were all over the floor in our hallway. [and] in our bathroom, ”she said. “The next day we discovered that the problem was also in the basement. So we had sewer flooding in the basement. “
Contractors are laying 5G fiber lines for Verizon in the neighborhood, and Franklin blames Verizon for the problems rather than the crews doing the installation.
“It was absolutely disgusting and so annoying to realize that it was because of the work that had been done,” she said.
Before contractors drill, they’re supposed to call 811 so all utility companies can point out where their underground lines are. Verizon officials claim this was done for the work at Trinity Park.
“Our team regularly works in close coordination with our supplier partners to ensure that all local rules, policies and procedures are followed,” the company said in a statement. “All work in this area has been strictly in accordance with city requirements, and we will ensure that this continues. “
The 811 website also says homeowners can call ahead of work to have their lines marked. But Franklin said she didn’t even know Verizon’s job had been scheduled, so there was no way she could have called.
She said she wasn’t even a Verizon customer, but contractors tore up her yard, which was recently landscaped, on top of the other issues.
“I’m completely frustrated and disgusted with what I see as American companies doing what they do and the little guys getting fucked,” she said. “We did not ask for this job.”
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