Heavy rain causes wrecks to double

Shopping for last-minute Christmas presents is bad enough, but Mother Nature made it worse socking the Augusta area with heavy rain.

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At Kendrick Paint & Body in downtown Augusta, Jackie Smith was busy dispatching her company's wrecker to accidents "left and right."

Though there were no serious injuries, Ms. Smith said Kendrick saw a lot of banged-up cars Friday.

"There was one wreck on River Watch Parkway and Alexander Drive where a Mini-Cooper flipped over," she said.

"Our wrecker driver has been going crazy today - he's by himself."

There were at least 32 wrecks Friday, Richmond County dispatchers said. On drier days, the count is normally 10 to 15.

Sheriff's Maj. Richard Weaver said wrecks occurred all over the county, with trouble areas including Bobby Jones Expressway, Washington Road and Mike Padgett Highway.

"When it's raining, people have a tendency to stay inside a little longer," Maj. Weaver said. "Then they decide to go out and get in a rush."

Cpl. Ritchie Howard, with Thomson's Georgia State Patrol post, said his agency responded to at least 15 accidents on Interstate 20 and other highways in the region - mostly people hydroplaning into ditches.

Both lawmen cautioned drivers to stay below the speed limit in inclement conditions, use headlights and be cautious.

"Most of the time, people are not using just good old common sense," Maj. Weaver said.

As of noon Friday, National Weather Service radar estimates showed at least 2 inches of rain fell across Augusta, with higher amounts in rural areas west of the city.

Water pooled in the usual low-lying areas near University Hospital, on downtown streets and on East Buena Vista Avenue in North Augusta. Water was plentiful on the Aiken-Augusta Highway in North Augusta and along Mike Padgett Highway in south Richmond County, too.

The Augusta Canal, off Goodrich Street, was full from the storm and close to spilling its banks part of the morning. But it caused no flooding problems for the canal, said Dayton Sherrouse, the Augusta Canal Authority's executive director.

"It rose a good bit, but it gets a lot of flow from creeks - Rae's, Reed and Rocky - so it can rise pretty fast," he said.

Crane's Creek and Rae's Creek in west Augusta were close to the same level.

Although there was no flooding, the additional flow in the waterway was good news to the authority, which uses revenues from the canal's hydropower to pay many of its bills.

"When you have higher water and the increased head, we generate a lot more power, so we like it," Mr. Sherrouse said.

Despite steady rainfall throughout the morning, no flooding reports had emerged by noon in Columbia County.

Staff Writer Rob Pavey contributed to this article.

Reach Jeremy Craig at (706) 823-3409 or jeremy.craig@augustachronicle.com.