Gilmer among counties to be assessed by FEMA, GEMA
As of last week, almost 80 roads in the county were listed as having received some type of damage from severe storms that tore through March 25 and 26.
The storm damage was widespread across the county, confirmed Gilmer Public Works Director Jim Smith.
“It’s trees, culverts, washouts, all of the above. I’ve been around for 20 years, and this is the worst I’ve seen since 2004 and Hurricane Ivan. This ranks right up there in the top two or three,” Smith said.
Commission Chairman Charlie Paris described the amount of storm damage as “massive” and said repairs and cleanup could continue into the next few weeks.
“I think we’re looking at well over $200,000 of damages,” Paris said. “There were eight roads that were initially closed, and we’ve got them kind of put back together. We got the trees cleared from the roadways, but will have to go back and clean that up.”
Some of the hardest hit areas are on the west side of the county including Conasauga, Shake Rag and Gates Chapel Road, Smith noted.
“The wind damage seemed to be more on the western side of the county and there was water damage around our streams. In the western part of the county, (like) Conasauga and Gates Chapel off Highway 52 West, it looks like it twisted the trees off anywhere from 10 to 20 feet up. They’re not just blown over, they’re actually twisted off,” Smith added.
Two of those eight initially closed roads, Corvair Circle and Hill Road, remained closed last week. Others, which had since been reopened, include Big Creek Road near the Fannin County line, Bull Gap Road, Laurel Trail, Legion Road, Raven Cliff Road and Tavern on the Hill Road.
“It was mostly where the creeks got out of their banks. They rose and flowed over the roadways. We also had a lot of erosion (issues) where the water would run off of people’s property onto the road and do damage. We had shoulders of roads we went back and reinforced with riprap stone (and) we had roads washed away on top of pipe,” Smith said. “Legion Road was closed because the river was over it. On Parks Road, off of Boardtown, the pipes were not blown out, but it washed (out) the roadway on top of the pipes.
Hill Road, near Old Clear Creek and Blackberry Mountain Road, awaits repair of its culverts, which were washed out in the storm, Smith noted.
“Clear Creek crosses under Hill Road through two large 10-foot-diameter culvert pipes and they are completely gone,” he said. “We are in the mountains and we have mountain streams. When those streams get to rolling, they’re going to do damage whether it’s to culverts or bridges.”
Coosawattee River Resort (CRR) also sustained damage from the storms. An update sent to property owners by the CRR management office noted significant flooding in numerous areas.
A section of the private community’s Newport Drive, near Fife Bridge, had major damage including ruptured asphalt and a landslide beneath the pavement. The damaged portion of road remains closed and civil engineers will make assessments to determine how to restore two-way traffic to the area, also per the CRR management update.
Paris is hopeful the county will be able to receive some sort of emergency disaster aid from state and federal emergency management agencies.
“The level of damage has to exceed a certain monetary figure and we have exceeded it. Hopefully, they will come out and decide that this qualifies for some assistance,” Paris said.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and Homeland Security have determined that Gilmer is among eight Georgia counties where the level of storm damage requires joint federal/state and local preliminary damage assessments. The other counties are Coweta, Fannin, Heard, Polk, Pickens, Lumpkin and Rabun.
Smith said the county has submitted preliminary reports to both GEMA and FEMA, and FEMA representatives are scheduled to tour the damage this week.
“Generally, when FEMA comes, GEMA comes as well,” Smith said.
If the county does receive disaster aid, it will come in the form of reimbursement.
“We have to spend 100 percent of the money first, then we wait for state and federal to reimburse us,” Smith confirmed.
As of last Thursday, more than $16,000 for stone gravel and almost $15,000 for pipe had already been spent, Smith noted. The total damage estimate could grow as repairs and cleanup continue, he added.
“It’s not an overnight fix. It will take a while,” Smith said.