Possibility of new flood leaves residents unfazed

In fact, most residents and city officials are doing little to prepare for a third flood

Web posted June 21, 1998

Associated Press

ALBANY, Ga. -- It's steamy in Ola Tolson's house, where the floorboards are pulled up and wallboards are missing.

She hasn't been able to sleep there since the Flint River flooded in March, forcing her out for the second time in four years.

Like many other residents of the southwest Georgia city of Albany, Ms. Tolson, 77, can't even imagine what she would do if it flooded again.

``I keep hearing that it's going to happen again, but there's nothing we can do about it,'' said Ms. Tolson, who is living with her daughter while her home is being repaired.

In fact, most residents and city officials are doing little to prepare for a third flood.

Many people have moved back into their flood-damaged homes, often without making repairs.

The city, county and state have completed a study of ways to limit the damage in future floods, including levees, pumps and relocating or elevating flood-prone houses. But city officials haven't yet acted on any of the recommendations.

``There's just not one'' answer, said City Manager Janice Allen Jackson. ``The problem is that there was development in the flood plain. The more stuff we put in the flood plain, the more likely we are to create flooding conditions.''

About 500 homes and 11 businesses were damaged during the recent flood, which also forced the evacuation of 11,000 people in Dougherty County. The river crested at 36.92 feet -- about 17 feet above flood stage.

After Tropical Storm Alberto stalled over Georgia in 1994, the river crested at 44 feet, submerging most of south Albany, inundating 4,200 residences and forcing at least 15,000 people to evacuate.

The people whose homes flooded both times -- mostly poor, uneducated and elderly -- have responded coolly to idea of moving or elevating their houses.

Many are emotionally attached to their homes in neighborhoods where Martin Luther King Jr. once walked and a civil rights museum is under construction.

``A lot of people were here, involved in the struggle. They made their livelihood here. It was a fight for them to get what they got. They're going to fight to keep it,'' said Jerome Hubbard, a lifelong Albany resident who now sells insurance in neighborhoods near the Flint River.

The most practical option is for the city to buy out homes, demolish them and use the space for parks and recreation. About 650 properties have been bought out since 1994 and applications are being taken from people affected by March's flood, Mrs. Jackson said.

``The idea (is) that if you want to make sure you never get flooded again, you should get out of the flood plain,'' she said. ``In practical terms, it makes sense. But in terms of the human consequences, it doesn't.''

Residents say they aren't interested in buyouts because the city hasn't offered them what their homes are worth.

``You might as well let them bulldoze and knock down your house than sell it to the city,'' said Bessie Reeves, 63.

Ms. Reeves, a part-time employee at a dry cleaner, moved back into her flood-damaged house last week. She had no savings, but her house was repaired with federal money and the help of United Methodist volunteers, who have pledged $1 million to rebuild 51 homes in a year.

If it floods again, Ms. Reeves plans to move away, even if it puts her in debt. ``I'm going to Atlanta,'' she said.

Many residents have refused to apply for federal aid, either because it wouldn't be enough to rebuild or because of the paperwork. Others have gotten federal money but spent it on other things.

``People get loans and buy an automobile, color TV. They stay in public shelters or just in public housing,'' Mr. Hubbard said while driving through a neighborhood where new, elevated homes are scattered among older and abandoned houses.

Some residents blame the city's drainage system for flooding that occurred more than a mile from the river in March. River water backed up in the storm drains, pushing smelly and filthy water through the manholes and out into the streets.

``The best thing to happen is for the city to upgrade its drainage system,'' said the Rev. Daniel Simmons, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church, which was damaged in 1994 and again in March even though it is not next to the river.

City officials say there's nothing they can do to prevent backups in the drainage system.

``I'm not sure it's avoidable,'' Mrs. Jackson said.

Since March, city officials have applied for a $1 million federal grant to elevate flood-prone homes. They also are seeking money to build pumps and gates that would slow the water's progress when the river rises. And they plan to use $400,000 in federal funds to develop a computerized contour map that will help predict the Flint's flood stages.

But for now, the city is waiting before it starts any big projects -- such as levees -- to stave off another disaster.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying the levee idea and plans to make a recommendation in about six months.

Even a levee has drawbacks, Mrs. Jackson said.

``Some people are of the opinion that they're going to fail eventually,'' she said. ``They require a good deal of maintenance. They also require a good number of people to be displaced.''