TIFTON, GA (WALB) -
Work is already beginning to fix roads damaged by flash flooding last week in Tift County. Storms caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. City leaders quickly found money for repairs.
The city has a provision in their charter that allows them to call an emergency meeting and pass an ordinance to do emergency repairs. They are using more than $500,000 in SPLOST money for storm repairs.
It's not enough to make all the repairs needed, but they'll be able to start on critical areas right away.
A. C. Woods is one happy man. Construction crews are ready to start work replacing the dangerous bridge in front of his home. "I looked out here and all these contractors were out here. It made me feel good, all these people fixing to go to work," he said.
The bridge in front of his home is in danger of collapsing. The foundation underneath the bridge is eroding and after Wednesday's flash flooding, it dropped even more making it inaccessible and an emergency situation.
"If there was another big rain it would wash it on out and fall completely in," Woods said.
Friday night, the Tifton city council held an emergency session where they voted to spent $520,000 in SPLOST funds to repair the bridge and nearby bridges between Pineview and Madison on 12th street.
"You'll find the ambulances come through here to the hospital so that's what makes it an emergency," said
Today, crews with Southern Concrete construction were scoping out the job before they get started. "Tomorrow we will begin pumping water out bring excavators to dig ditches out with and a crane to start removing the bridge with," said Randy Willis of Southern Concrete.
But Wednesday's flooding not only left its mark in the city, the county suffered damage too.
"Our estimates are around $200,00 in roads," said City Mgr. Larry Riner.
On Parker Road, it's certainly not a life safety issue, but a convenience issue. But in 2009, damage was much worse. The county suffered more than a million dollars in damage. But repairs helped offset the damage done during this flood.
"We are not going to receive any disaster declaration through all of this from FEMA," said Riner.
Now, they are waiting find out if any agencies will help.
Woods is just thankful he will soon have a safe and reliable bridge to drive over to get to his home. "I feel the city did good. They getting started ain't they?"
It will be complete in about three months.
City officials say the next SPLOST money will go towards the remainder of 12th Street that needs to be repaired. The next section is from Madison to Goff, estimated at half a million dollars in repairs.
Things are also moving forward to repair that huge sinkhole we showed you between Shoney's and the Ramada Inn in Tifton. It's been there a while but last week's flooding made it much worse.
The two property owners have submitted a repair plant and are now working with the county engineer FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
There's been a lot of confusion about who's responsibility it is to repair the hole.
County Manager Jim Carter says that particular part of the drainage system is on private property, and it was a parking lot before it was a hole.
"It's unfortunate we had this big rain event but we are in the process of getting all this but we are closer to having a resolution since it started."
He's hopeful things will get going in the near future.
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