Some Lee Co. roads submerged - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

By Jennifer Emert - bio | email 

ALBANY, GA (WALB) – More heavy rain left a mess in Lee County. People there are dealing with flooded homes and closed roads.  

With more rain on the way, Emergency Management Officials say there's little they can do to prevent more problems.

The ground is so saturated, there's nowhere to pump water from areas that continue to flood.

The good news is the Kinchafoonee Creek crested Sunday, but it was three feet above flood stage.  Today it dropped a little, but more than a half dozen homes remain cut off, and Emergency Management Officials say all they can do is take it one day at a time.

The sign in the Edmonds' front yard says it all.  They were flooded less than a year ago, when the Kinchafoonee Creek spilled its banks.  They've officially surrendered to the creek, that swallowed Creekside Drive in the 400 and 600 blocks. 

It's the same situation on Cypress Point where several homes were surrounded by water.  Residents on both creeks are watching them closely.

"I'm just anxious about the amount of rain that might be coming," said Lawrence Reno.

Along North Hampton Road the Muckalee Creek has also swallowed Lawrence Reno's driveway.  The chain link fence in his backyard was swept away in the current.

"It's just part of living on the creek.  The creek's my recreation and I have flood insurance so I just go with the flow."

"The grounds so saturated every body's getting flooded now, everyone's calling about their septic tanks and I just have no control and neither does the county over ground water and that's what we're having the problems with right now," said Lee County Public Works Interim Director Mike Sistrunk.

New York Road between Milledge Road and Philema Road is underwater.  Public Works is urging everyone not to disregard road closed signs and have asked the Sheriff's office to enforce the closures.

"It can look like it's two inches deep and you get on top of it and the water's over you and the water current moving like it is and it could push you into ditches," said Sistrunk.

North of Highway 32 portions of five more roads are closed Laramore Road, Mays Road in two points, Gray Moss Road, and Gator Pond Road.

"Dirt roads are just saturated and we're trying our best to stay ahead of the game and keeping up with materials is our big thing," said Sistrunk.

With more rain on the way, staying ahead of the game won't be easy. The flood warning along the Kinchafoonee has been extended through Wednesday night and with a 70% chance of rain on Thursday could be extended even further. 

Emergency Management Officials say residents along the creek acted quickly over the weekend and got vehicles and trailers to higher ground before they were flooded.

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