GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. – Some residents living in Northern Glynn County near Altamaha Regional Park have evacuated from their homes because of flooding.
The flooding is so extensive, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for 120 counties in Georgia.
@GovKemp has declared a State of Emergency for 120 counties due to flooding effective March 5, 2020. #gawx pic.twitter.com/SQvv0Nzf5h
— Georgia EM&HS (@GeorgiaEMA) March 5, 2020
While this isn’t a new issue because of the overflow of the Altamaha River flowing south, residents said they are becoming impatient and want the county to take action.
One family told News4Jax they evacuated their Everett home on Pennick Road Wednesday morning and had no other choice but to come back and use their inflatable boat to go check on their home, goats and dogs on Thursday. They said this is the most intense flooding that they’ve seen since the three years they have been living here.
“[It’s] about four feet deep in some spots, too deep to get a truck through,” Regina Lane said.
Since Pennick Road is covered with water, Lane's husband and son went to check on their home by boat.
"There are four families back there, three of them are isolated they can’t get out," Lane said.
Lane said other nearby neighbors have evacuated to higher elevation and so are the wild animals, including a cooperhead snake.
“With all the rain up north it’s got to go somewhere and we’re just on the bottom side of it,” said Zane Fry, whose family has a cabin near Altamaha Park.
Fry said his family’s cabin was not flooded inside, but the water level reached at least four feet deep.
Glynn County Commissioner Mike Browning told News4Jax the county has allocated $3 million special purpose local options sales tax, or SPLOST, dollars to replace Pennick Road which will fund engineering, the right-away and road improvements to repave.
Browning added the county is currently in the designing phase and does not have a timeline.
News4Jax meteorologists said anytime the river levels have elevated this community in Everett experiences is flooding. Although the conditions aren’t as intense as were originally expected Thursday, the community still needs far drier conditions to make the flooding go down, News4Jax experts said.