Flood warning issued for Decatur County
Published 6:09 pm Tuesday, December 4, 2018
The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for the Flint River and Spring Creek in Decatur County.
With some regions of Decatur County receiving up to 10 inches of rain over the weekend, according to Decatur County Emergency Management Agency Director Charlie McCann, both the Flint River and Spring Creek have passed or will pass their flood stage over the next few days.
McCann does not foresee any serious problems, but wants residents to be prepared nonetheless.
“I think we are sitting OK,” said McCann. “I don’t think it will get high enough to affect us. I don’t foresee an issue right now unless somebody moved in an area since the last flood we had.”
The flood warning for the Flint River in Bainbridge will continue until Dec. 9 at 7 a.m. As of 9:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, the river level measured in at 22.85 feet. By 3 p.m., it had reached 26.6 feet, McCann said. The flood level is 25 feet.
Forecasts show the Flint River will continue rising to near 26.5 feet by late Wednesday, then begin to fall.
Spring Creek had risen to 14.9 feet by Tuesday morning and will peak between 17 and 18 feet by early Thursday and then begin to fall.
“We should be dry,” said McCann about the rain forecast for the rest of the week. “Probably get another chance around this coming weekend on Saturday or Sunday for rain. That should give us enough time for the creek and the river to drop. The creek will crest tomorrow. The Flint River will crest on Thursday.”
In the meantime, Decatur County EMA asks residents in low lying and flood prone areas to closely monitor weather conditions. Mandatory evacuations are not being made at this time, but resident should still make preparations to protect life and property.
If you have any questions about flood preparedness, contact Decatur County EMA at (229) 248-3869.
Historical crests for the Flint River include July 14, 1994, when it hit 37.20 feet. In March 1998, the Flint River reached 34.65 feet. Spring Creek crested at 24.40 feet on March 10, 1998. In 2009 it crested twice at 20.75 feet and 20.56 feet.
