ST. MARYS, Ga. – St. Marys, Georgia residents experienced heavy flooding with roads submerged by water and water meeting the front door steps of buildings.
News4JAX crews were on St. Marys Street, which is right next to the St. Marys River. The water on St. Marys Street started to recede but was still visibly in the street as of Friday evening.
Neighbors said the excess water from the river came up to the driveway and garage of a home at one point, but day by day, the water has come up a little less.
The St. Marys Fire Department placed tubes filled with water reinforced by sandbags around the waterfront properties to provide additional protection from the water rushing in off the river.
Local business owners said the fire department’s efforts played a significant role in helping them weather the storm. Owners at the Market on the Square said they’ve experienced major flooding issues with Hurricane Irma and learned a few lessons that allowed them to prepare for Ian’s arrival.
“We had about 3 feet for both of the hurricanes five and six years ago, so we were a little bit better prepared this year. We had everything high up off the floor, so we didn’t lose any merchandise this time,” Angie Mock, owner of Market on the Square said.
Mock said neighbors pitched in to help out the store with an “ice cream problem” as well.
“Everyone loves to help with the ice cream problem,” Mock said while laughing.
“You know you have to do a good deed sometimes. I eat ice cream just to help a neighbor out, but we all come together here. We all support one another, and we’re just very fortunate that we didn’t end up getting hit worse than we could have been,” Mimi Alexander, manager of Seagal’s Restaurant said.
The Seagal’s Restaurant did lose power for about an hour, but the restaurant is open. Market on the Square also cleaned up any minor damages from Ian and will be open for business Saturday.