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Rising river threatens Camden homes
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| SPRING HILL RESIDENT Lewis Shingler fears that he will be flooded out of the home where he has lived for 20 years due to river flooding associated with the rains last week from Tropical Storm Fay. (Special to the Tribune & Georgian) |
By Jill Helton
Tropical Storm Fay is long gone, but the torrential rains of last week are still affecting several Camden County residents.
St. Marys River continues to rise in southwestern Camden County, and a handful of residents are nervously watching as the water inches toward their homes.
"I've got waterfront property in my back yard right now," said Lewis Shingler, who lives on Springhill Court.
He knew it was bad when he saw a catfish swim by him in the back yard, swallowing a cricket near the birdfeeder still standing in his lawn.
"I could see his fin as he was moving through the water," he said. "I have never seen anything like that before."
The river has breached its banks and is just feet from flooding his home of 20 years.
"It's never been as bad as it has this year," Shingler said. "But [the storm] dumped record rainfall on the area."
County Commissioner David Rainer, whose district includes the flood-threatened area, said officials are watching the situation closely.
"One of the problems we are having is there is no river gauge on the St. Marys River except for Macclenny [in Florida]," Rainer said.
Macclenny, located just west of Jacksonville and several dozen miles from Camden, crested earlier this week. Mark Crews, Camden County emergency management director, said he would expect to see the river crest this weekend in Camden because it typically runs two and a half to three days behind Macclenny.
Crews said ideally, there would be another gauge in the area of Charlton County so that Camden residents could anticipate approaching flood waters. However, he has been told by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) representatives that there is no funding available at this time for additional gauges.
As an alternative, Crews said he has been using a less scientific method of marking high water marks just up river.
Shingler said his home lies on a sharp 90-degree turn in the St. Marys River.
"When that water comes down and makes that bend right there, it's throwing all that water over the banks and back up there to where we're at," he said.
Crews said both the Springhill and the Flea Hill areas have been affected, although no homes had been flooded as of Thursday at press time.
Crews visited those neighborhoods Thursday morning to assess the situation and help residents.
"This is as high as I have seen it, but some of the locals here say they have seen it even higher," Crews said.
Crews said several homeowners were upset because people are driving cars through the water at a high rate of speed, causing a wake near their homes that is too close for comfort.
He said the residents along Flea Hill were being allowed to drive through the flood waters to get to their houses, but non-residents have been asked to stay out due to the potential of creating wakes that could cause damages.
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officers are maintaining a presence on the river to discourage boat traffic in that area as well, Crews said.
Shingler said he started calling county offices early in the week to see how much flooding was expected and got little response. With earlier notification, he would not have waited until later in the week to begin moving his belongings from his home. He said a local storage unit offered him and his wife free space to store their personal items.
Shingler said he has placed sandbags around the home in case the river does not stop rising. It is already entering his garage, he said.
"It's not like people in the community do not want to help, but I am a little disappointed in the government's part of it," he said.
Crews said he is aware that people are desperate for more information, but he is not a forecaster and relies on NOAA and the National Weather Service like everyone else does. With homes being threatened, he can understand why tempers are running high.
"It's just a stressful situation for a lot of people right now," Crews said.
Crews said anyone who needs sandbags can pick them up from the county's building maintenance department, located at 1144 Godley St. in Woodbine.
No local shelters had been established as of Thursday, but the American Red Cross will provide assistance to any families displaced by the flooding.
Emily Keller, director of the local Red Cross office, said a shelter would be opened if a large number of people are displaced from their homes. If there are only a few families, the Red Cross would normally arrange for them to stay in hotel rooms.
Her agency also offers financial assistance to help with the loss of personal property and storage units for keeping items rescued from the flood. The local American Red Cross office can be reached at (912) 573-3939.
Many other Georgia counties are dealing with problems caused by the rising river. The state of Georgia declared a state of emergency earlier this week for seven counties - Baker, Charlton, Decatur, Grady, Miller, Seminole and Thomas counties - all areas in southeast Georgia affected by the rains of Tropical Storm Fay.
The American Red Cross has already provided help to those in areas near Camden.
"This has become quite a large disaster even though it was just a tropical storm," Keller said.
St. Marys River continues to rise in southwestern Camden County, and a handful of residents are nervously watching as the water inches toward their homes.
"I've got waterfront property in my back yard right now," said Lewis Shingler, who lives on Springhill Court.
He knew it was bad when he saw a catfish swim by him in the back yard, swallowing a cricket near the birdfeeder still standing in his lawn.
"I could see his fin as he was moving through the water," he said. "I have never seen anything like that before."
The river has breached its banks and is just feet from flooding his home of 20 years.
"It's never been as bad as it has this year," Shingler said. "But [the storm] dumped record rainfall on the area."
County Commissioner David Rainer, whose district includes the flood-threatened area, said officials are watching the situation closely.
"One of the problems we are having is there is no river gauge on the St. Marys River except for Macclenny [in Florida]," Rainer said.
Macclenny, located just west of Jacksonville and several dozen miles from Camden, crested earlier this week. Mark Crews, Camden County emergency management director, said he would expect to see the river crest this weekend in Camden because it typically runs two and a half to three days behind Macclenny.
Crews said ideally, there would be another gauge in the area of Charlton County so that Camden residents could anticipate approaching flood waters. However, he has been told by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) representatives that there is no funding available at this time for additional gauges.
As an alternative, Crews said he has been using a less scientific method of marking high water marks just up river.
Shingler said his home lies on a sharp 90-degree turn in the St. Marys River.
"When that water comes down and makes that bend right there, it's throwing all that water over the banks and back up there to where we're at," he said.
Crews said both the Springhill and the Flea Hill areas have been affected, although no homes had been flooded as of Thursday at press time.
Crews visited those neighborhoods Thursday morning to assess the situation and help residents.
"This is as high as I have seen it, but some of the locals here say they have seen it even higher," Crews said.
Crews said several homeowners were upset because people are driving cars through the water at a high rate of speed, causing a wake near their homes that is too close for comfort.
He said the residents along Flea Hill were being allowed to drive through the flood waters to get to their houses, but non-residents have been asked to stay out due to the potential of creating wakes that could cause damages.
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officers are maintaining a presence on the river to discourage boat traffic in that area as well, Crews said.
Shingler said he started calling county offices early in the week to see how much flooding was expected and got little response. With earlier notification, he would not have waited until later in the week to begin moving his belongings from his home. He said a local storage unit offered him and his wife free space to store their personal items.
Shingler said he has placed sandbags around the home in case the river does not stop rising. It is already entering his garage, he said.
"It's not like people in the community do not want to help, but I am a little disappointed in the government's part of it," he said.
Crews said he is aware that people are desperate for more information, but he is not a forecaster and relies on NOAA and the National Weather Service like everyone else does. With homes being threatened, he can understand why tempers are running high.
"It's just a stressful situation for a lot of people right now," Crews said.
Crews said anyone who needs sandbags can pick them up from the county's building maintenance department, located at 1144 Godley St. in Woodbine.
No local shelters had been established as of Thursday, but the American Red Cross will provide assistance to any families displaced by the flooding.
Emily Keller, director of the local Red Cross office, said a shelter would be opened if a large number of people are displaced from their homes. If there are only a few families, the Red Cross would normally arrange for them to stay in hotel rooms.
Her agency also offers financial assistance to help with the loss of personal property and storage units for keeping items rescued from the flood. The local American Red Cross office can be reached at (912) 573-3939.
Many other Georgia counties are dealing with problems caused by the rising river. The state of Georgia declared a state of emergency earlier this week for seven counties - Baker, Charlton, Decatur, Grady, Miller, Seminole and Thomas counties - all areas in southeast Georgia affected by the rains of Tropical Storm Fay.
The American Red Cross has already provided help to those in areas near Camden.
"This has become quite a large disaster even though it was just a tropical storm," Keller said.
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