It was déjà vu in Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon as heavy rains once again left parts of South Main Street underwater.
The flooding wasn’t as severe as on August 15, when more than three-and-a-half inches of rain fell in a short period, causing damage that included a tree falling on Little Caesars Pizza. Still, Wednesday’s storm packed enough punch to flood low-lying areas and cause scattered power outages. Just over an inch of rain was recorded in a thirty-minute span.
Lingering problem
Days earlier, an extreme rain event Friday resulted in severe flooding in the same general area.
“The flooding was most likely caused by the inability of the existing storm drainage system to manage the large volume of rain that fell during that short time,” said Cleveland’s Director of Economic Development Tom O’Bryant.
O’Bryant explained that ponding occurred across several parts of town last Friday, but most areas drained once the rain stopped. The worst flooding happened along U.S. 129 South, where Cleveland Veterinary Hospital, Cooperative Purchasing, Foothills Car Wash, and Little Caesars are located.
“It is believed that the underground pipe in that area eroded out and collapsed, thus causing the water to back up and flood the businesses,” he said.
Extent of damages unknown
The total amount of damages remains unknown, especially with the additional flooding. According to O’Bryant, Cleveland Veterinary Hospital is inside city limits, but the other affected businesses fall under White County’s jurisdiction. In addition, the problematic drainage pipe lies within the Georgia Department of Transportation’s right-of-way.
“The county and state will determine what corrective action is needed to address the flooding and long-term maintenance of the drainage system,” O’Bryant said. “Those businesses will work with the county and state to address the problems to prevent any additional flooding in the future.”
There was more heavy rain in the region on Thursday, and more is expected on Friday, August 22. A break in the weather with cooler temperatures and lower humidity is expected early next week.
