Lee, Dougherty emergency personnel encouraged as flood waters slowly recede

LEESBURG — While Albany Fire Chief Ron Rowe acknowledges the hardship that living in a flood-prone region can bring to residents closest to bodies of water, he notes that there is one element of high-water events that offers an advantage for the region.

“It’s unfortunate that our residents have had these experiences with high water … in ’94, ’98, ’05 and ’09,” Rowe said Sunday afternoon. “But it’s also advantageous from a preparedness perspective that we’ve had experience dealing with these type situations. We know what we need to do.”

The Albany fire chief, who also serves as the county’s Emergency Management Agency director, said the city had opened an Emergency Management Operations Center at the city courthouse Sunday morning, much like emergency personnel in neighboring Lee County had previously done.

Lee officials were dealing with flooding of the Kinchafoonee and Muckalee creeks over the weekend while Albany and Dougherty County personnel were preparing for an expected Tuesday or Wednesday crest of the Flint River. A check with the National Weather Service left Rowe and Albany officials encouraged that the event would not be a major one.

“Things are looking good for us right now,” Rowe said. “The flood level of the Flint has been downgraded to 31.7 feet. At its highest, the projection was 35.7 feet. That 4-foot drop is significant and eases a lot of the concern we had.”

The latest NWS projections for the Kinchafoonee were also encouraging, showing a Friday crest of 21 feet and a level Sunday at 18.6 feet. But Lee emergency officials said they’re not so quick to sound the all-clear.

“Despite what the National Weather Service is saying, we’re not saying that the Kinchafoonee, especially as it nears the Flint, has crested yet,” Lee Fire Chief James Howell, who also serves as county EMA director, said Sunday. “We’re just not seeing the water receding at this time. Yes, it’s crested and receded at Pinewood, which is higher ground, but not further downstream.

“The water is going down slowly in low-lying areas, and with the Flint’s waters rising, there’s just nowhere for the water to go now. So this is going to be a slow-moving event.”

Officials with the Lee County Fire Department, Sheriff’s Office, EMS, Public Works, the Community Emergency Response Team and Leesburg Police Department were manning the Emergency Operations Center at the county’s Century Fire Station Sunday afternoon after a quiet Saturday night. LCSO Lt. Col. Dennis Parker said he expects emergency personnel to remain at the center for most of the coming week.

“This has not been as bad as the ’94 flood, but it’s a little worse than normal,” Parker said. “It could have been worse, but anytime you have to evacuate homes, it’s a bad event. And because the water is draining off so slowly, it’s going to take a while.

“We are maintaining security in the areas where people had to evacuate their homes, checking IDs so that only people who live in those areas get in, and maintaining a 6 p.m. curfew. The reasons are twofold: There’s the safety issue and also providing security for people who are already in a difficult situation because they had to evacuate.”

Lt. James Vick with the Leesburg PD said public safety officials had responded quickly to the emergency, but he also praised the community’s response.

“Just like they have in the past, our citizens wanted to know what they could do,” Vick said. “When we set up the emergency center here, all it took was me making a couple of phone calls and businesses responded. Little Ceasars, Pizza Hut, Subway, Publix, IGA and Brick Oven all donated food for personnel at the center. That’s just the kind of community we have.”

Rowe said that while Albany officials are encouraged by the good news from the National Weather Service, they will remain vigilant as the Flint’s waters rise. He also said emergency personnel will keep an eye on expected mid-week rains that could slow recession of the water.

“We’re monitoring the weather, and our crews are monitoring the area — especially low-lying areas that were impacted by past events — around the clock,” the AFD chief said. “No one’s been asked to evacuate so far, and we’ve actually scaled back the number of personnel in our EOC for right now. But we’re trying to stay two to three days ahead of any possibility, so we have personnel ready to respond in a moment’s notice.

“It’s hard to say right now what (predicted) heavy rains could do to the levels of the water, but they would definitely prolong the event. We’re optimistic right now, but we’re ready to ramp things up if we have to.”

Terry Lewis contributed to this report.