Brandt Furin, a resident of Emerald Green Drive, was one of 30 residents trapped after the storm washed out his dead-end road on Memorial Day. (Lexie Shadix/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Emerald Green Drive, a private, unpaved road near Sandy Cross, was repaired by the Oglethorpe County Public Works Department just 24 hours after it became impassable due to flooding.
As a result of heavy downpours that hit the county on Memorial Day, a small creek that runs under a section of the dirt drive completely overwhelmed the road, leaving 30 residents trapped on the dead-end street.
Homeowners are responsible for maintaining private drives, but due to the severity of the situation, the county decided to repair the damage.
Jay Paul, chairman of the Board of Commissioners, estimated the repair cost to be around $17,000.
“We do not do routine maintenance on private drives, but in this case … there was no other way to get to them,” Paul said.
Paul and Adam Nation, public works director, had arrived at the scene to assess the damage as soon as a resident called to tell them about the situation.
The pipe that allows the creek to pass under the road was washed away, creating a hole Nation estimated to be 45-feet wide and 10- to 12-feet deep. Because the road was completely split, the only feasible plan was air rescue.
“We knew that if we had some kind of medical emergency, that was going to be our first contact,” Nation said. “Like a medical helicopter to come in.”
Brandt Furin, one of the trapped residents, said among those on the other side were several elderly people and one woman who had just had heart surgery.
“What if we were to have a house fire? What if we were to have a medical emergency or what if, you know, there were to be some kind of dispute or something where the sheriff’s office needs to get there?” Nation said.
Repairs began the following morning. Madison County sent four employees and three dump trucks to assist the Oglethorpe County Public Works Department, and a pipe was bought from Southeast Culvert, a company that manufactures storm drainage materials.
At the time of the washout, the company did not have the necessary pipes in stock, but after Nation explained the emergency, the business created two 25-foot pipes, each 8 feet in diameter, later that day.
“For them to stop their production to make exactly what we needed means they really care about the customer,” Nation said.
Despite being hit with another downpour while working, the road was completely repaired by 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 26.
Furin, who works as a contractor, said he was "unbelievably impressed” with the county’s response.
“I come out of Atlanta,” Furin said. “If this would have happened there, they’d still be thinking about it.”
Residents of Emerald Green Drive showed their appreciation the following week, surprising Nation’s crew with lunch and thank-you notes on Friday, June 5.
“It gave us the opportunity to … meet them and get a personal thanks from each and every one of them, and it really means a lot,” Nation said.
While the county did fix the damage in this instance, Paul said he doesn’t want to set an expectation that the county will maintain private drives.
“I’ve heard horror stories from EMS about (how) the ambulance can’t get down the driveway because it’s so narrow and overhanging limbs and stuff,” Paul said. “I strongly encourage people to take care of these problems themselves before it becomes an emergency situation … we can’t help them if they’re not helping themselves.”