OAKLAND, Fla. — A historic cemetery in the town of Oakland is under water as heavy rain continues to pound the already-flooded area.
Family members of those deceased says a nearby construction project is to blame.
Pulte Home Construction is building a new community near the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery.
Several graves are completely submerged in water, and Monday's rain just exacerbated the issue. The cemetery includes a historic African-American grave site, reportedly well over 100 years old. The town says that part of the cemetery is not affected.
Several family members drove up to the site after hearing about the news.
Shequilla Scafine says she blames both the town and Polte for the flooding, saying something should have been put in place to prevent the flooding.
“My son, my grandma, my uncle, cousin, my great grandma," Scafine said. "I have many loved ones out here floating. My grandmother, you can't even see her grave, she's fully underwater.”
A spokesperson for the town of Oakland says it was calling on Pulte to work swiftly on a permanent solution.
Right now, engineers with Pulte have pumps working. They're trying to pump out as much as possible – and the company says it's are fully committed to providing a permanent solution to the flooding.