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Viewer asks NewsChannel 3 to take action for flooded cemetery

Posted at 4:29 PM, Feb 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-08 18:41:21-05

Portsmouth, Va. - Floating flowers, shifted headstones and submerged graves, one Portsmouth woman asked NewsChannel 3 to take action for those buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Portsmouth.

"The graves are underwater, the headstones are actually moved, I'm just appalled," said Portsmouth resident Annee Smith. "I don't know how people can come here and visit their loved ones and not be totally enraged."

Smith doesn't have a loved one buried at the cemetery, but she does walk through with her dog every day and she tells NewsChannel 3, she feels like the dead are being disrespected.

"It's beyond disrespectful," she said. "Some of these men and women died for our freedom and they are being treated like they are forgotten and nobody is doing anything it seems."

headstone

That is until NewsChannel 3 took action.

Workers at the cemetery told us Portsmouth Christian Church owns the cemetery. An elder at the church, Walter Hudson, called NewsChannel 3 on Monday saying the church was gifted the cemetery about five years ago. Hudson says when he went by the cemetery last summer, it looked to be in good shape and had no idea about the flooding problems.

However, he said he will be going back by the cemetery and calling the property management to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed.

Hudson says he will get back with NewsChannel 3 once he does that.

Taking action, getting results.