- Heavy rain over the weekend caused significant flooding in Valdosta, submerging city streets and damaging homes.
- South Georgia and Florida are nearing the peak of hurricane season.
- Watch the video to hear how the floods impact neighbors.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
Heavy rain leads to repeated repairs in Valdosta.
"We had a tree fall down at our old place, and then we have a flood here at the new one."
I'm Malia Thomas, your neighborhood reporter in Valdosta.
I'm following up on weekend flooding as neighbors try to move forward.
"It's the first time it's rained this heavy since we lived here."
You may have seen Angela Moore joking about her backyard turning into a pond on Facebook over the weekend.
"I looked outside and noticed probably from this down to the fence it was just a pond."
This isn't the first time she's dealt with dangerous weather.
Hurricane Idalia damaged her previous home 11 months ago.
"We actually moved here because our old house had a tree fall through it."
That damage plus the recent flooding have Angela on alert as we head into the busier months of hurricane season.
This particular stretch of Gornto usually bears the brunt of the rainfall.
"Well, I'm a delivery driver, so I saw a lot of it and I got to see the hardest hit areas, which was surprising This area right up here NA little bit there's a neighborhood up here. That was just horrendous."
Though the roads are dry now, Saturday, up to 4 inches of rain in a short amount of time led to city streets being completely submerged.
"Since Thursday, the Withlacoochee River has risen about five feet from all of the rains."
Bobby McKenzie is a neighbor with a background in environmental management.
He tells me that floods are prone to happen with heavy rain and surround infrastructure.
"City stormwater runoff comes through here this creek, and that stormwater runoff is generated by not being soaked in the ground because you have parking lots and buildings."
With more rain to come, Angel urges her neighbors to stay alert, but stay calm.
"You never know when a storm is about to hit, but you can't live in fear though."
Remember, if you're thinking of getting flood insurance, FEMA says there is usually a 30-day mandatory waiting period.
I'm Malia Thomas, in Valdosta, reporting for ABC27.
