Albany power restored; Lee roads impacted by rains

LEESBURG — Albany city officials said Monday that all but a very few of the estimated 1,000 customers who lost power during heavy rains Saturday and early Sunday had had their power restored by Monday morning.

The power outages and localized flooding after between 5 and 7 inches of rain fell in the region in a 24-hour period had a surprisingly smaller impact on the region than many expected, although at least one school system in the metro Albany area was impacted by the rains.

“We’ve restored power to pretty much every customer that was impacted,” Assistant City Manager Stephen Collier said Monday. “There are two or three or maybe a few more houses that are still surrounded by water, and in situations like that, it becomes a safety factor (for linemen).

“As soon as we’re able to safely access those houses, we will restore power.”

Officials with the Lee County School System said Sunday evening that, due to the weekend’s storms, some county roads were still flooded and/or impassable, leading to a decision to start the school day Monday an hour later.

“In order to maximize the safety of bus operations, the Lee County School System will delay routes for all school system buses by one hour,” Kevin Dowling, assistant superintendent with the Lee school system, said. “School start times will also be delayed by one hour. We ask for patience as our buses navigate their routes.

“In a few flooded places, buses may not be able to get to normal pickup areas. Parents can bring students to a drier area for pickup, or can bring students to school. Those few students in cut-off areas that cannot get out will not have their absence counted against them.”

Officials with the Dougherty County School System announced Sunday that schools were expected to operate as normal.

Dougherty County Public Works Director Larry Cook told the Dougherty County Commission on Monday that there were a few county roads closed — and that pumps were draining standing water.

“We are hoping the rain coming back through will hold off and give us a chance to get this water out of here,” Cook said.

On Monday, the roads in Dougherty that remained closed were Home Drive, Edith Drive and Holly Hill Drive. These roads are in the northwestern area of the county off Old Dawson Road.

City Manager Sharon Subadan said Monday she was pleased with the response of city personnel to the heavy rains.

“As much rain as we got in a very short time, I think our folks did a good job of responding,” Subadan said. “On Friday, we had people mad that we’d decided to cancel the (Christmas) parade (planned Saturday). I think they saw that it was the right decision.

“I think the citizens in the community should be aware that on a Sunday, after all of the rains had stopped, it was all hands on deck with our personnel. And while this was just too much water for our sewer and floodwater systems, the ongoing rain that we’ve had has made (water retention) difficult. All of our retention ponds and ditches are full.”

Subadan said she and city officials are working on her “three-pronged plan” to address sewer, CSO (combined sewer overflow) and flooding issues, with a goal of “solving this ongoing problem.”

Officials in Lee County said late Monday morning that several roads remained impacted more than two days after the rains in the area stopped. Cook Road, the 400 block of Creekside Place and Turner Road were closed, with several more streets holding water. Among them are Ledo Road, Forrester Parkway, Middle Road, Lovers Lane Road, Old Leesburg Road between Cedric Street and Winding Way, Eagle Pond Road, the dirt section of Flowing Well Road, North Doublegate Drive from Hampton Road to Danbury Lane, Joe Toole Drive, the lower part of North Hampton Road, Hartsfield Road, Sneed Road, Ambleside Drive, Hawkstead Drive, Stoney Road, Bowers Road, higher addresses of Creekside Drive, Holly Plantation, and Pebble Ridge Drive at Hickory Grove Road.

Also in Lee County, officials said roadside storm debris pickup from Hurricane Michael has been temporarily halted due to weather conditions and flooding. The Stroud Road and Tower Place Lane debris drop-off sites are currently closed to the public.

The National Weather Service said rain amounts ranged from 5-10 inches in the region on Saturday and Sunday.

Jennifer Parks