Local & State Headlines

Rain still impacting area

• The Kinchafoonee Creek is predicted to exceed flood stage Wednesday morning.

Holly McCarthy

ALBANY - Residents of the Kinchafoonee Creek area who experienced flooding in the past should begin making preparations now for potential flooding, emergency officials say.

Emergency management officials are keeping their eyes on the rising Kinchafoonee Creek with remnants of Tropical Depression Fay that pounded Southwest Georgia with torrential rain.

“The Kinchafoonee may, in fact, flood,” Vaught said. “People who have been flooded before need to start thinking about making some arrangements.”

According to Vaught, the creek is expected to crest at 14.5 feet Wednesday afternoon. Flood stage is 13 feet.

“Public Works is working to make sure drains and canals in the county are open, as they have been throughout the weekend,” Vaught said. “Right now, we’re just watching to see how much rain we get.”

Vaught said the Flint River and Muckalee Creek are not in danger of jumping their banks.

The Flint is expected to crest at 11.2 feet, which is just under nine feet below flood stage. The Muckalee is predicted to crest four feet below flood stage at 11 feet.

Grady and Thomas counties were hit hardest by downpours over the weekend, with each county receiving more than 20 inches of rain.

Grady County Emergency Management Agency Director Jim Ellis said 14 roads were closed, including U.S. Highway 319 South, from Cairo headed into Florida, and Georgia Highway 111 North and South.

“Any time you have 20-plus inches of rain in less than 36 hours, you’re going to have flooding,” Ellis said. “We’re still in response mode.”

Grady County saw the state’s only storm-related fatality after a 12-year-old boy drowned while playing in a drainage ditch Saturday.

Parts of Thomas County received upwards of 30 inches of rain. Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Lisa Griffis said Metcalf gauged 30 inches and Thomasville reported 25 inches.

Though major routes intersecting Thomasville are open, including U.S. Highway 19, U.S. Highway 319 and U.S. Highway 84, Griffis said several dirt roads in the county were closed.

Griffis said trees were down and water flowed over roads throughout the county. Thomas County and GEMA officials toured the county Sunday to begin damage assessments.

“We’re watching the system closely and trying to clean up from the weekend,” Griffis said.

Travelers were rescued from rushing floodwaters in two separate incidents Saturday night, Griffis said.

In one of those incidents, five people were rescued from two vehicles after the drivers maneuvered around barricades.

As of late Monday, Fay was moving across Mississippi and moving slowly toward the northeast. The National Weather Service of Tallahassee predicted rainfall in the area lasting until Wednesday. A flash flood warning was in effect for southwest Georgia until Tuesday morning.

Another system churning in the Caribbean was too far out to affect local weather predictions. Tropical Disturbance No. 7 was upgraded to Tropical Storm Gustav Monday afternoon.

Early National Weather Service forecasts estimated Gustav could make landfall in Cuba on Friday.