Flash Floods Pound Houston County
Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – With more rain in the forecast for the next few days, the abnormally soggy June was shaping up to be dangerous for motorists and residents alike, as five to seven inches fell from the sky in a matter of hours.
At least two inches fell Wednesday, June 11, but it was the five to seven inches falling Thursday which sealed the deal. Roads washed out, cars became stuck, and local first responders scrambled to keep up with water-logged locals.
Crockett Loop 304 near the underpass on the city’s south-west side was one area where cars became bogged down in the water, with only 18-wheelers able to get through. Crockett Fire Department, among many others, was able to keep the incidents from becoming worse, but resources were certainly strained.
Boating on Houston County Lake was suspended due to the high waters, and many other complete and partial closures covered the county. The area around San Pedro was one of the last to be re-opened, albeit still with high water.
While most tried to plan their routes and times carefully, others decided the cones and closures didn’t apply to them. Houston County Search and Rescue had to be called out after locals ignored warnings and entered into flooded areas. Three vehicles eventually needed rescuing. Houston County Sheriff Zak Benge issued a stern warning his office would follow up on those not heeding official closures, a Class B misdemeanor.
Heath Murff, who manages Houston County’s Office of Emergency Management was still on the job late Friday when he took a minute to update The Messenger. All of the county’s commissioners, he said, were working hard on getting ditches, bridges and other roads back to normal. The storm and the rain it brought were so unusual and unexpected, no amount of planning could predict or mitigate all of the consequences. He joined Benge in asking people to do their part to avoid potentially life-threatening situations by taking road closures seriously and contacting authorities to work out alternate routes. The life you save could be your own, or one of our local first responders.
The accumulated water will take time to subside, although the scattered showers in the forecast over the weekend and into Monday could make the situation worse. As always, we encourage our readers to stay alert and in communication with local officials and The Messenger on social media for the latest updates.
Driving in high water is particularly dangerous, when it can become impossible to gauge the true depth of the water, as just six inches of water can be enough for tires to lose contact with the road. Those murky waters can also hide dangerous debris, dangerous to tires and dangerous to feet. Water entering an engine’s air intake can cause the car to stall, even if the water is otherwise passable.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
