Rainstorms wreak havoc in Cave Spring, parts of Floyd
♦ Cave Spring Elementary will be closed today because of flooded roads in the area.
More than six inches of rain over the last three days has swollen creeks and rivers across Rome and Floyd County. Little Cedar Creek overflowed causing significant flooding in Cave Spring Thursday.
The National Weather Service graphs the Oostanaula River at the Turner McCall Bridge and it rose a full foot from 5 a.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday, a little over 15 feet, and rose to 17.29 feet by 5 p.m. Flood stage is 25 feet. As of 6 p.m. Thursday night the National Weather Service had reported 6.15 inches of rain at the Rome airport since Tuesday.
The south side of Floyd County seemed to be where the brunt of the most serious problems developed Thursday.
Floyd County Public Works Director Michael Skeen said Little Cedar Creek in Cave Spring was still rising early into the afternoon.
“If you consider the pool, the creek, the park (Rolater) and the main street one body of water, yeah, it was pretty big ,” Skeen said.
National Weather Service forecaster Laura Belanger in Peachtree City said the Cave Spring area and sections of southern Floyd County may have received between 7.5 and 8 inches of rain.
Cave Spring Elementary School will remain closed Friday and several of the bus routes for Coosa school district students, 11-03 and 16-23, will not run Friday.
Cave Spring DDA Chairman Rip Montgomery said four to five inches of water flooded his Antiques on the Square, 22 Broad St., and that trying to pump water out had been futile until the main body of water recedes.
“Yeah, we’re fishing from the front porch,” Montgomery said with a laugh. The Creekside restaurant, which had not re-opened yet, and a small gas station across the road from the antique store also got water in them.
Trees coming down across various roads and driveway culvert blowouts were another problem county public works personnel were busy with Thursday. Skeen said there was a pretty big tree across Morgan Dairy Road at one point which was pretty daunting, but for the most part, “It was a one man, one chainsaw type of cleanup.”
A somewhat unusual weather pattern with a high pressure system off the Atlantic coast that was spinning clockwise, coupled with a low pressure system that was spinning counterclockwise had the effect of funneling moisture from the Gulf with what is called a training effect, one round of precipitation right after the other as if coming on railroad tracks.
Rome Public Works Director Chris Jenkins said trees uprooting in the wet soil has been one of the biggest problems in the city. A tree came down on Jervis Street Thursday uprooting some concrete and asphalt that crews had to repair. He noted other tree problems came up on Mount Alto Road and Iron Street.
Jenkins said a crew was out checking storm drain grates just to make sure they were clear of debris late Thursday afternoon.
“It’s draining pretty well so far,” Jenkins said.
Numerous roads and streets were closed at some point Thursday including Bert Road and Dempsey Road in the Model community along with Padlock Mountain Road, Fincher Street, city limits of Cave Spring, Old Highway 100 and Mountain Home Road at the Polk County Line and U.S. 411 South at Ga. 100 South in the Cave Spring area
City crews also pulled the Joel Sulzbacher Roman Holiday out of the Coosa early Thursday and moved it up on top of the levee. A family adventure ride on the boat scheduled for Sunday has been canceled and people holding tickets will have the opportunity to reschedule or receive a refund.
Belanger said the weather pattern is starting to shift with the steady rain tapering off. She sees a return to “normal” late summer afternoon thundershowers through the weekend with a front bringing much drier weather to Northwest Georgia next week.
“Typical stuff is going to be a welcome change from what we’ve been having,” Belanger said. “But remember just because the rain stops doesn’t mean the rivers won’t keep rising. Stay alert.”