RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WSAV) – Flooding is a recurring theme in Richmond Hill neighborhoods, like Rushing Street Station.
Due to heavy rainfall, the Ogeechee River is once again flooding. That water reaching Rushing Street, closing Highway 144 between Liberty and Bryan County, and covering parts of the trail at J.F. Gregory Park.
On Wednesday, water has reached the edge of people’s yards and sandbags were the new necessity. Residents said that they are desperate for answers.
They’ve said that they had already been through so much during the severe flooding that Tropical Storm Debby brought.
“I just hate it that we are all panicking again. I mean, we're all frustrated,” Rebecca Matyka said.
Matyka has lived in the area for about five years and said that the street floods often, though the worst was during Debby when it reached inside her home.
“We did have to cut drywall out everywhere in the house,” Matyka said. "We lost all of our flooring. We finally did get all the drywall replaced. We are finally in the stage of being able to start painting."
Kemp extends emergency order for Georgia flooding
She said that they are almost back to normal, but the current flood waters are a reminder that they live in a low-lying area.
“My fears right now is that continuing to be a problem, and it's coming right back into the house,” she said.
She said while others have had it worse, everyone is tired of dealing with this. Many people are upset with the city and blame the “inadequate” drainage systems.
“There’s got to be a solution. There's got to be a way to divert the water elsewhere,” she said.
WSAV shared their concerns with Mayor Russ Carpenter today, and he said that he understands their frustrations, but it is the reality of living near the Ogeechee River and Sterling Creek.
“Anything we can do to alleviate drainage we will do and are preparing to do,” he said. "And we are or have already done a lot. In the past six years, we spent over $4 million on drainage. And so we understand this is an issue. We live in a low-lying area, but this is where we all choose to live."