RICHMOND, Va. -- Living next to a railroad track for most of his life, Ivory Clanton Jr. said it's not the loud horns that scare him and his family, but rather the sound of water rushing into his yard.
Almost every time it rains heavily, the 73-year-old said his yard floods due to a collapsed pipe that runs under a train track next to his home.
Rainwater that is supposed to pass through the pipe and drain away from his property, instead builds up and floods his yard.
"We start getting worried because we don't know how long it's going to rain," said Clanton. Sometimes, the flooding is so bad, that Clanton said the water comes into his mobile home.
"The water went through the whole trailer, the whole trailer itself, from the back to the front," he described.
The issue terrifies Ivory Clanton III because both of his parents are disabled.
"My parents whenever they see rain or water in the forecast, they're in pieces," he said. "I'm thinking every time I see rain, am I going to lose my parents, how am I going to get out of here, no one drives."
The family said they went to the town council to see if the problem could be fixed but were told by the Waverly government that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) could not repair the pipe until permitted by Norfolk Southern, the company that owns the railroad track.
Waverly mayor, Angela McPhaul, and the president of the town council Franklin Cox, said the issue impacting the Clanton family is just one of many that they are asking Norfolk Southern to remedy.
Less than a mile away a train track that they said is also owned by the company and runs through the town's primary road is causing issues for the cars that have to drive over it. "Our pleas for help with Norfolk Southern have just fallen on deaf ears," said McPhaul.
Cox said the growing holes have been an issue for more almost five years.
"Main Street carries a lot of traffic as you can see, a lot of big truck traffic, the crossing here takes a beating, particularly from big trucks," said Cox. He says to avoid the holes, cars will "turn all the way to the extreme right side of the road to try and duck that hole."
Drivers like James King say he's suffered car damage from the holes. "Each time I come across there I hit a big bump," he said.
"We have people that are very upset, they break rims, they've hit these potholes, they've called town hall and they want to know what we can do about it," said McPhaul.
Cox said the town was told a more permanent fix would be coming by Norfolk Southern after they temporarily repaired the holes several times, but that was months ago, and the holes have continued to get worse.
"They'll patch it, it'll last a few weeks, a month and then it'll be a big hole again," said Cox.
From growing holes to sinking pipes, residents of this small town tell CBS 6 they just want to see everything fixed and back on track.
CBS 6 reached out to Norfolk Southern about both incidents and was sent this statement that reads in part.
"The crossing on Main Street is slated for maintenance work in the next week or two, which will address concerns there about the pavement. On the culvert, that section of track is leased to a local business, meaning there are a couple of different parties involved that are responsible for different maintenance-related items. We are aware of the situation, though, and are looking for a solution."
CBS 6 will be checking in with the town mayor and residents of the home in the next few weeks to see if any progress has been made.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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