TEMPE, AZ — A 69-year-old Tempe woman living in a retirement community says repeated flooding from a nearby canal embankment has damaged her home, ruined sentimental belongings, and cost her hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars.
Shelly Yarbrough, a retired businesswoman and COVID widow who lives on a rented lot at Sage Point, reached out to ABC15 claiming she has not received support or assistance from the property manager. Heavy monsoon rain sends water and eroded dirt down a Salt River Project (SRP) canal embankment and into her backyard, and a chain-link fence holds dirt up in some segments of the boundary.
"I'm a senior citizen in a park trying to live my golden years. They're not golden, they're muddy," Yarbrough laughed.
When storms are forecast, Yarbrough lines up sandbags and relies on a trench dug by her brother to channel the worst of the flooding.
"I've got trenches all the way around my house," Yarbrough pointed out. "It's so unbecoming."
She said water has previously flooded her patio, soaked the underbelly of her mobile home, and destroyed sentimental keepsakes stored in her shed.
Yarbrough said she has had to rent a storage unit and reseal her shed. She now worries the foundation of her home is settling due to water damage.
"The undercarriage got wet, and now I'm hearing creaking," Yarbrough said. "I walk through my house, and it's excessive."
When asked how much the flooding has cost her, Yarbrough estimated she has lost hundreds of dollars.
"Hundreds, if not thousands," Yarbrough said. "But mostly because I threw things away. I just said, 'Okay, we're done.'"
In a statement, SRP told ABC15 it was first made aware of the issue last week.
"SRP has determined that this area of the canal is maintained by the City of Tempe for their trail under a Canal Multiple Use license, and they are responsible for maintaining the canal bank," a spokesperson said. "We have reached out to the City of Tempe to inform them of the issue."
Yarbrough claimed park management did not respond when she formally contacted them with an email in October 2025, in which she stated her insurance company said infrastructure repair is needed to prevent further damage.
Sage Point management told ABC15 it forwarded a request for comment to its corporate office.
"The fact of the matter is that I feel like I'm helpless in a senior park, whereas somebody can do something," Yarbrough said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
