KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Neighbors who live in subdivisions off Northshore Drive are watching as water levels rise in the creeks and inlets that back up to their homes.
Last February, almost a year ago to the day, one neighborhood called Northshore Hills flooded so badly the neighbors were stranded there for nine days.
One of those neighbors is Bill Freeman.
"The water was well above the fence here, came into the pool, came into my lower shop area," he said.
Freeman is one of the many victims of the flooding on February 23, 2019.
He lives on a creek, and said it took him three months to get his home back to normal.
"I would say there was probably more than $100,000 spent between the neighbors and just fixing their own stuff," he said.
Freeman's entire neighborhood was trapped from bad flooding for about nine days last year.
"We were taking my small boat there across the street to go to Kroger's just to shop," said Freeman.
As the forecast calls for more heavy rain, Freeman is watching as the water inches closer to his home.
"This morning it was 2 feet away and now as you can see it's right up to the fence pole," he said.
Freeman and his neighbors are having flashbacks to this time last year.
"I just don't know if I can go through that again, I think PTSD is the right term to describe it," he said.
This time Freeman is armed with flood insurance.
"Water is a very unforgiving thing. It can be a lot of fun when you're on a boat on the lake but it can also destroy a lot of things when you're sitting in your house," he said.
He hopes he's ready for whatever comes next.
"Last year I think it really just hit everybody out of left field and we weren't prepared, so this year I think it's a good thing to try to be prepared," he said.
Freeman already started moving things from his backyard up to higher ground.
His neighborhood is praying it doesn't have to deal with this flooding for the second year in a row.
