- Two 60-inch cross drains on Rockyford Road were destroyed by Hurricane Helene, with repairs expected to take up to a year.
- Neighbors can detour on Coolidge Road, or Eric Hall Road to avoid the washout and navigate around the repairs on Rockyford Road.
- Watch the video to see the county's plan to repair the road road.
BROADCAST SCRIPT
Hurricane Helene may have passed, but the damage it left behind is still causing trouble.
I'm at Rockyford Road, where cross drains were destroyed by the overwhelming force of water from Helene.
I'm looking into the county's plan to fix it and how it's impacting neighbors in this area.
Areas like Coolidge in Thomas County saw flooding and excess water caused severe damage.
that increase in water caused two 60-inch pipes to become overwhelmed by the 11 inches of rain that fell during Helene.
That left Rockyford Road washed out.
For neighbors like John Paulson, a retired firefighter who lives near the road, this was more than just an inconvenience—it's a major disruption.
"My wife works part-time in Thomasville, and this is the way she goes to work. She can't do this now. She's got to go through Coolidge and around 2319, and that adds miles to our daily commute," said Paulson.
The morning after the storm, Paulson and other firefighters checked blocked roads, looking out for their neighbors.
"I got on that side, and we were looking to see how bad it was and figured out it had washed out underneath, so we stopped all the traffic," said Paulson.
Other roads like Pope Road, Lawhorne Road, and Banister Road were also impacted by the storm and need repair.
"This was a very strong storm to come through. We don't usually lose roadways!," said Knight.
Jay Knight from Thomas County Public Works says the damage is extensive. Repairs could take anywhere from six months to a year, with a cost estimate of around $150,000 for Rockyford Road alone.
the county will assess the damage and work on building a more durable cross-drain.
"Thomas County is hiring an engineer to assess the hydrology and make sure upstream factors haven't changed over the years that could have affected this," said Knight.
But for now, neighbors have to adjust.
"We'll get used to it, I suppose..," said Paulson.
Residents will need to take detours on Coolidge Rockyford or Eric Hall Road while the cross drain is being repaired.
