Amelia Teston had no idea when Thursday’s work day began she’d be leaving her downtown Waycross office through a window instead of the front door.
And she was thankful to do it. Teston’s Gateway Realty office at 516 Lott Street was inundated when a heavy rainstorm hit about 4:30 p.m., Thursday and overwhelmed the city’s canal system. The worst of the November 7 storm lasted about an hour, flooding downtown streets and knocking out power.
Many passengers became stranded during the storm as cars stalled out or became submerged in deep water.
The portion of the system that runs under Lott Street poured into Teston’s office, collecting to about eight inches high before receding, she said. Outside, water rose to around three feet high on the side of building from visible debris marks Friday morning.
Teston said she was in her personal office toward the rear of the building when administrative assistant Jessica Perritt alerted her what was happening.
“I was sitting at my desk finishing up and kind of mapping out my day for today (Friday),” Teston said Friday during a break from cleaning up the office. “The next thing I know, here (Perritt) comes saying. ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.’ Water had started creeping through the front door.
“It just came out of nowhere.” Teston said by the time she and Perritt were able to leave, water was over their ankles. She said they both attempted to go out a back door on the right side of the building, but found even more water there.
The realtor said she sent Perritt on into the water that had collected in the parking lot and stayed to work on closing the door. After some effort, she was able get it closed and returned to her office.
“I was wading around in the water barefooted and I heard the popping of the (power) transformer behind us. I wasn’t waiting any longer and went out one of the windows,” said Teston, who found her vehicle was also flooded.
Waycross City Manager Ulysses “Duke” Rayford addressed the flooding situation in a live stream at noon Friday on the city’s Facebook page. He said a rain gauge at the Public Works Department measured five inches after the storm ended.
Rayford said the canal system is at a point where it can handle about five inches of rain over extended periods.
Rayford said the canals were clear prior to the storm so the flooding was a case of too much water in the time frame in which it fell.
He said the water had receded from the streets and the canals were running normal “about an hour” after the rain lessened.
According to the National Weather Service, nearly an inch of rain fell (.94) in the period from 4:35 p.m. to 5:35 p.m., which was the height of the storm.
Rayford reinforced the need for citizens to make sure grass clippings aren’t blown into the street and to be sure nothing is placed in toilets or into drains that isn’t soluable. He also said kitchen grease is another item that causes problems.
The flooding snarled evening traffic as motorists tried to find ways around impassable streets. Driving was also toughened when power outages disabled traffic lights on key roads.
Georgia Power said about 400 customers lost power from the storm.
Teston has been at her current location for 26 years. She said this was the sixth time she’s experienced water in the office.
“We’ve had it in the front foyer or front office, but never all the way through the building and never this deep,” she said holding a plank from office floor that she and others were removing. “We’ll rebuild, as they say, and keep going. We’re not going anywhere.
“We’re thankful nobody lost their life or got hurt.”
A worker for Georgia Power reattaches lines atop a pole on Alice Street Friday morning after Thursday evening’s storm knocked out power in some parts of downtown. Photo by RICK NOLTE
