Flooding causing unlivable conditions for a North Attleboro family

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WLNE)- Nearly two and a half feet of water have turned a North Attleboro family’s basement into a blight.

Heather Marderosian, her mother Katherine and step dad Steven haven’t been able to stand past the fifth step og the basement stairs in two years.

“There’s no where to go because we’re essentially sitting in a pond,” Marderosian said.

The family hasn’t had any hear or electricity since last August.

“The stress has been incredible it just never ends. The impact is unbearable…. Our whole quality of life has just been taken away from us” Marderosian said.

So how did the water get there?

The family says the blame is shared by  the developer of a nearby apartment complex and the town of North Attleboro.

They say a fault drainage system and runoff from the complex’s lot has been filling their basement with water since 2018.

The family’s lawyer said the drainage system wasn’t built to handle rain runoff from the parking lot and roofs of the buildings of the complex.

The family currently has a lawsuit against the apartment developers, Boston-based Jones Street Investment Partners.

The family’s lawyer spoke with the town in June and according to the Town Manager, the issue is “with our lawyers.”

The town has advised the family to apply for affordable housing, but the family is in very tough financial burden due to this situation.

“The lawsuits are going through the court system but that could take years which my parents don’t have,” Marderosian said.

ABC6 left messages for the town and property group but we have not heard back.