The house belonging to Sung Seo on Crystal Court is surrounded by water as Reed Creek overflows its banks. The house is one of the homes that Columbia County wants to purchase with Federal money because it is in a flood plain. JIM BLAYLOCK/STAFF

Flooding leads residents to eye move

Web posted September 5, 1998

By S.B. Crawford
Columbia County Bureau

After this week's brush with Hurricane Earl, at least 12 Martinez families are ready to look for a drier climate -- or at least higher ground.

Those soggy souls are the unfortunate victims of repeated flood damage to their homes in the Forest Creek subdivision of Fury's Ferry Road.

Last month Columbia County officials identified twelve home owners in the neighborhood near Reed Creek who may qualify for relocation through a $1.4 million Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant.

Most residents say they can't wait to get out of the flood zone.

``We're very anxious to get this grant money,'' said Melanie Miller, whose home on Crystal Court barely missed being flooded by Thursday's deluge. ``I'd move today. I want the check in my hand and I'm out of here, but I don't want to watch them tear it down.''

A resident of the neighborhood since 1985, Ms. Miller remembers well the big flood of 1990, when her home had a foot of water on the lower floor.

``I remember it happened on October 12, and we lived upstairs until January,'' she said.

EARL'S RAMPAGE

NEWS

•Flood cleanup •Lasting impression •Residents may move

PREVIOUS REPORTS

•Earl floods region •Homes inundated •Some flooding reduced

Damage to floors, walls, furniture and appliances amounted to about $45,000, Ms. Miller said, all of which came out of her pocket, because she didn't have flood insurance.

Now whenever raindrops start to fall, she can't help but be a little jumpy.

``It's scary every time it rains,'' she said. ``You just don't know what's going to happen.''

Her neighbor David Hodges agrees.

``We've had moderate rains before, and we've had to move things upstairs,'' he said. ``Any time we get three or four inches in a short period of time we're in trouble.''

Mr. Hodges is ready for his piece of the grant, as well, if it only comes through.

The county intends to use the grant to buy all the designated houses at fair market value and tear them down

``Basically we're just going to remove the houses and leave it in a natural condition so there wouldn't be any future flood damage,'' said Jim Lieper, Columbia County's engineer.

Click on the image above to see the larger and complete chart.STAFF

While the county may be moving to help them now, residents are quick to point to overdevelopment and poor storm drainage as the reason for repeated flooding along Reed Creek.

``The problem with Reed Creek now is the water is kind of stagnant; it doesn't really flow. There's beaver dams out there. It's really like a swamp,'' Mr. Hodges said.``We're pretty much getting all the runoff from the whole area.''

But county officials are very circumspect when it come to responsibility for residents water problems.

``All the development that went in there was in accordance with the policies and procedures with flood damage prevention,'' Mr. Lieper said.

But he and other officials have good reason to avoid the subject of overdevelopment.

Another Forest Creek resident, Scott C. Washam, filed a lawsuit in June against the county seeking $250,000 in damages for repeated flood damage to his property on Crystal Creek Court.

However, Mr. Washam's house is on the list of potential grant recipients, so the county may dodge a legal bullet if the grant comes through.

But, residents won't know more about their chance for at least another month, Mr. Hodges said. Still, he's happy the county is looking for a way to get them out of the swamp.

``This is a good opportunity,'' he said. ``I think they're going to try to do it in a fair way.''