Meddling neighbor obsessed with rainwater collecting in front of his property rents a backhoe to dig a trench, accidentally severing the water main: 'Now my house has no water and I’m going to be on the hook for a repair'

To be fair to this neighbor, not that he really seems to deserve it, I, too, had an older neighbor who lived across from me who was worried about the rainwater collecting in front of our houses. He was a lovely chap, though, and any time it rained, I saw him outside clearing the drains, so that rainwater wasn't pooling. So, sure enough, when I saw him out there next, I went out to help, and it became an ongoing thing. There were times I'd even beat him out there first. When the stormwater drains filled with silt and debris, we'd both call the local authority to get it cleared out. It was a good arrangement, but neither of us could have imagined how this would end.

Well, let's just say that neither of our houses is there anymore. A freak 1-in-200-year rainstorm came through, sending 12 feet of floodwater into the second story of our homes—no amount of drain clearing was going to stop that from happening. The only thing you can really do to avoid it is not to live in a flood-prone area if you're able, or at least be aware of the risks. Anyways, the point is, you can't really stop a force of nature, and you can't really blame this neighbor for being worried about rainwater in a flood-prone area. You can, however, blame him for the way he goes about conducting himself and for not taking responsibility when things go pear-shaped.