A worker from the Richmond County Public Works Department clears a Chelsea Drive drain. JIM BLAYLOCK/STAFF

Storm leaves residents wet, frustrated

Web posted January 11, 2000

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By Clarissa J. Walker
Staff Writer

Flooded out and frustrated, Augusta's Chelsea Drive residents said the pool of standing water left by Monday morning's storm is a headache they have to endure too often.

Augusta received nearly 2 inches of rain during a storm that prompted the National Weather Service to issue a tornado watch from 5:54 until 9:22 a.m. Swamped lawns in Augusta and power outages in Aiken County resulted from the downpour that lasted most of the morning.

Downed tree limbs knocked out power for about 10 Aiken County residents and a couple of North Augusta customers, said Mary Green Brown, spokeswoman for South Carolina Electric and Gas Co. In Aiken, the rain caused a few fender benders, said David Ruth, Aiken County Emergency Preparedness coordinator.

As late as noon, several inches of water were still flooding the street and lawns of homes along west Augusta's Chelsea Drive.

``It appears that our main problem here is a common problem,'' said County Engineer Doug Cheeks. ``It's dealing with ... leaves, pine straw, yard trimmings and things like that (which) have gotten into the system and clog the system. People don't really think about leaves and things like that causing a big problem. They actually clog up our system.''

Chip Schwartz, a neighborhood resident for more than 20 years, said yards -- and sometimes houses -- along Chelsea Drive have flooded annually since trees and brush were cleared for nearby development.

``Chelsea Drive runs along Rae's Creek,'' Mr. Cheeks said. ``Chelsea Drive is at the bottom of the hill, and it catches everything in this neighborhood.''

A 1990 flood caused $46,000 worth of damage at the Schwartz home, and the family was forced to move out for seven months. A rain last year left 3 feet of water in front of the family's home, Mr. Schwartz said.

``I am kind of downhearted about this,'' he said. ``Because I don't think that anything is going to happen out of this.''

Staff Writer Katie Throne contributed to this article.

Reach Clarissa J. Walker at (706) 828-3851.