Heavy rains brought flash flooding Tuesday afternoon that stranded drivers on north Columbus roadways and even displaced some city residents.
About six inches of rain fell on Columbus in less than three hours, according to the National Weather Service. Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency Director Cindy Lawrence said waves of rain bore down on north Columbus at about 2:30 p.m. and kept coming for more than two hours.
Flash flooding, she said, rose from Hospital Road to Bluecutt Road, flooding homes and making several residential streets in the area impassible.
As many as 52 units at the Chateaux Holly Hills apartment complex experienced as much as 6-8 inches of flooding, according to Lawrence. She said residents reported flooding at four homes on Gail Drive, as well as a mobile home park on Black Creek Road.
The Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at Southside Missionary Baptist Church Tuesday night, Lawrence said, where the organization housed as many as 14 displaced families.
While no businesses reported flooding inside their buildings, Lawrence said the rain did flood several business parking lots, especially those close to Highway 45 and Bluecutt Road.
“The ground was so saturated already, and because the rain fell so heavily in such a short period of time, it had nowhere to go,” Lawrence said.
Columbus police and firefighters also assisted with relief and rescue efforts on Tuesday. CPD officer Raymond Hackler said several vehicles became stuck in the flooded areas, prompting emergency personnel to help fish them out.
During the flooding, Hackler said police officers blocked off portions of Bluecutt, Lincoln and Old Aberdeen roads to keep as much traffic as possible out of danger. He said no injuries were reported.
“The rains were heavy and they just wouldn’t stop,” Hackler said. “We couldn’t keep up with it.”
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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Related Photos
Storm drains overflowed in Columbus due to excessive rain Tuesday. Cars find their way around a flooded area near Tufline Road in this photo. Photo by: Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff
A part of 22nd Street North is submerged in rain water Tuesday evening. The National Weather Service reports that six inches of rain fell in Columbus in less than three hours Tuesday. Photo by: William Browning/Dispatch Staff
