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riooa k'iciurVS Page 4A-5A Houston Times-Journo! Volume 124 No. 55 1 Section, 8 Pages Inside Today Today's edition of the Houston Times-Journal is devoted to the July Flood of 1994. Many of the regular features have been cancelled this week to bring our readers photographs and in-depth reports on the damage that occurred in Perry and parts of the county due to flooding. Other features, such as regular columns, letters to the editor and church news, will return next week. County to receive aid from feds By VETO F. ROLEY Staff Writer After declaring Houston County a federal disaster area Friday, Governor Zell Miller and federal of ficers asked local officials to set a list of priorities to be taken care of. Also, Miller said road repairs will be done according to priority. The interstates, Interstate 75 and In terstate 16, have the highest prior ity for repair. However, he added that Highway 247 was very high on the priority list for repair. Houston County Commission Chairman Sherrill Stafford said the repair of Lake Joy Road and Hous ton Lake Road were priority for county work crews to repair, open ing up two of the five existing cor ridors between Perry and Warner Robins. As of press time, two others were open, Interstate 75 and Highway 247 Spur. The other cor ridor, Highway 41, is still closed. Stafford added that the repair of Highway 247 was also very impor tant to the county, providing access to the county landfill. However, he said the county had an alternate route through Highway 247 Spur Please see AID, pagesA Homeowners on flood plain may be able to move By BRIGETTE LOUDERMILK Editor Homeowners residing on the flood plain on Elko Road may be able to re-locate, courtesy of the federal government. Perry's Mayor and City Council announced Friday afternoon that several federal programs are in place that allow residents in a flood plain area to re-locate. "We're urging the residents whose homes on Elko Road were flooded not to sign any agreements with home repair companies. The coun cil will be in touch with these homeowners early next week," Mayor James E. Worrall said during Flood cuts off major roadways, many still closed By BRIGETTE LOUDERMILK Editor Damage to area roads, dams and bridges caused Perry to be literally cut off from the rest of the world until Thursday morning with Interstate 75 between Byron and Perry exit 43 opening. According to city officials, the following damage has been reported in the local area: •Bay Creek Bridge on Highway 341 received structural damage. •Houston Lake Bridge received 'Flooded' with problems Aerial scenes of damage from flood detail destruction By JIMMY SIMPSON Staff Writer One of the most disastrous storms in history swept across the midstate this week, depicting scenes that could have been used for a television movie. The sights were reminiscent of flooding just over a year ago in the Midwest where extensive damage created havoc and claimed a number of lives. The mass destruction this time around was a result of the remnant storms of Tropical Storm Alberto that originated in the Gulf of Mexico and swept across Florida waters. By July 3 the storm had moved into southwest Georgia. The storm’s winds moved at speeds longing from 39 to 73 mph. Although there were no deaths reported here, 18 people were reported as fatalities statewide. Houston County was one of 43 Georgia counties Gov. Miller declared in a state of emergency this week. Four of those counties have been declared disaster areas by Federal authorities. On the ground, water could visibly be seen overtaking roads and bridges as workers from a number of agencies scrambled to stop massive flooding in low-lying areas. But what many observers couldn’t see was the mass destruction on the outskirts of the city. An invitation by the Georgia State Patrol to view the damage from the air allowed the Houston Times-Journal to assess the damage in a different picture. the called emergency meeting. Worrall also updated the council on a meeting held in Macon be tween local officials and state and federal government officials includ ing Governor Zell Miller, Senators Sam Nunn and Paul Coverdell. Since Houston County was de clared a national disaster area Friday afternoon, federal funds will be available to repair much of the damage to local roads and bridges. Perry officials met early this morn ing to prioritize disaster areas that need attention. All members of council agreed the Elko Road resi dents forced to abandon their homes would be the city's first priority. when the dam at Houston Lake burst. •Lake Joy Bridge received struc tural damage and a water line in the area broke when the dam at Lake Joy burst. •Mossy Creek Bridge on Highway 41N received structural damage. •Mossy Creek Bridge at Highway 41 Circle received structural damage and a water line broke. k The bridge on Highway 341 Sat the Highway 247 connector received Official Organ For Houston County, City of Perry & State of Georgia At 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, any barriers along dams that hadn’t already bursted, were on the verge of a massive collapse. Concrete foundations used as support beams for railroad transportation had completely diminished. And at the local airport, the setting resembled more of a ghost town. Short on fuel, GSP pilots were forced to touch down, drive a fuel truck onto the runway, and pump their own fuel after airport officials were unable to make their destination earlier in the morning. Once in the air, the damage appeared to be even more widespread and severe. Pastures normally grazed by farm animals were completely hidden by water. It is not known the severity of fatalities concerning those animals. Hundreds of acres of farmlands were also targeted by the waters. Irrigation systems also appeared to have been severly damaged beyond repair. More than a dozen homes located in isolated areas of the county were also severely affected. On numerous occasions, pilot Mike Rhodes was forced to sweep down and circle homes often displaying only shingles from rooftops. If rescue operations had been required, emergency personnel would appear to have been hard pressed to get to their victims due to water that continued to rise. But like an earthquake, the real aftershock is most likely yet to come. Almost all homeowners are Jjjk ]Bgßk ' r - _ Hi Hi The flood waters that separated South Perry and North Perry Wednesday and Thursday, also did considerable damage to residences along the Big Indian Creek side of Elko Road. structural damage. Officials from the state Department of Transportation were still assessing roads Friday, and no time limit has been set as to when these main roads would be open to traffic again. As of press time Friday, the fol lowing area roads were closed: •U.S. Highway 41 at Mossy Creek. •Georgia 11 (49) closed at the Bibb County line in front of For News And Subscriptions Call 912-987-1823 Legals Page 6A Saturday, July 9, 1994 1 < -' -'■y» Jfr- *&-:•■ *Css*,*s apPr-- >i*. *£? **■'* *fft J . Sk ckwKtS 'F’fiwi tfniM iy i *- - * ‘ ftp! &«? <,.; 'i'MIUhBIiI* wl jl'li 1 " 1 if ,i||i'ii i 'Hirio.l l| »T'W '"* ftc. ' . / ' ''•?%?£ .■* . '^BaMeSayft '. ? - ja»HMBfY': * iWiF . “ C'O & *'' ' Flooding reached down Into the southwest corner of Houston County, with this photo of a house, two vehicles and two storage buildings being taken southwest of Henderson. believed not to have .carried flood insurance. Automobiles and farm vehicles Vinson Valley and in front of Byron Printing. •Georgia 42 closed at Marshallville in Peach County. •State Road 96 is closed except from Bonaire to Interstate 75 at the Houser's Mill Road exit. •Highway 127 is closed at Houston Lake Road and from Perry to Marshallville. •Highway 247 is closed at the Bib/Houston County line going north. The connector has one lane Classified Page 7A were also targeted by the flood. Several dozen cars and trucks could be seen floating in the unexpected open in front of KMart in Warner Robins and is passable from Robins Air Force Base to Interstate 75. The highway is closed at Big Indian Creek southside. •Highway 341 N at Perry is closed at Bay Creek Bridge and in Hawkinsville at River Bridge. •County roads closed include Smithville Church Road, Hatcher Road, Joy Drive, Ridgedale, Peach Blossom Road and Lake Joy Road. Roads open as of press time Perry, Georgia -50 Cents lakes. But perhaps one of the most Please see AERIAL, page 8A Disaster relief! Citizens can call to be considered for federal relief All citizens in Houston County with damage need to contact the local Emergency Management Office at 912-542-2026 or 542- 2040 to place names on damage assessment list. They also need to call FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) at 1-800-462- 9029 or TDD (Hearing Impaired) at 1-800-462-7585 to register the damage on the federal disaster list This is for information so that Houston County may speed up any federal assistance that the citizens of Houston County may be eligible for. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated and is crucial for>all citizens of Houston County. to traffic Friday were: •Interstate 75 South. •Interstate 75 North is open, how ever, traffic has been one lane north of Byron. Traffic cuts off at Hardeman Avenue. The Georgia State Patrol added that areas such as Dooly County and Hawkinsville were just begin ning to experience some of the same problems as Houston County with flooded roads and reported that Please see ROADS, page2A