Coweta dodges a bullet but not everyone was spared

“We dodged a bullet and that’s a good thing.” That was the assessment of Coweta County Emergency Management Director Jay Jones on the heavy rainfall amounts that plagued Coweta for nearly a week. And though the type of flooding in north metro Atlanta avoided nearly all of Coweta there were some near the Chattahoochee River that were dramatically affected by flood waters.

Jones said Wednesday that Coweta got 2-8 inches of rain during the several day period. The amount fluctuated, with non-localized storms popping up and dumping loads of rain.

“Like we saw in metro Atlanta, these rainfall amounts were not localized. The rainfall came in pockets,” Jones explained.

Jones said the north central area of Coweta bordering the Chattahoochee is an area that is prone to high water, especially along Boone Road, Payton Road and Bob Brewster Road. And it is exactly those areas that come under scrutiny when persistent storms occur, he said.

In the case of the recent downpours, Jones said the Red Cross and Coweta Sheriff’s Office reported that up to 10 homes and outbuildings suffered some form of flood damage as the Chattahoochee and its drainage areas endured the barrage of upstream water. Jones said a thorough damage assessment will not be available until the waters recede in coming days. And more important than other factors was the absence of any death or injury from the storms and flooding, Jones said.

The National Weather Service recorded the Chattahoochee River at 29.84 feet at Ga. Highway 16 Wednesday afternoon and at 30.34 feet in Franklin. That was a far cry from the 5.38 feet recorded just a few days earlier on Sunday, Sept. 19. And in shows just how much rain water entered the Chattahoochee on Atlanta’s north side. The previous high-water mark for the Hwy. 16 checkpoint was 29.11 feet in 1919.

Positioned approximately 6 miles southwest of the Hwy. 16 checkpoint and east of Chattahoochee Bend State Park is the home of Rayburn Gray. His home, located at the end of Bob Brewster Road and overlooking the Chattahoochee River, has been an idyllic refuge for nearly a quarter century. A familiar hangout for kayakers and friends, Gray stood on the roadside Tuesday watching as his home became a part of the river he loves.

Gray has lived on the Chattahoochee since 1986. His front porch sits only 20 feet from the river bank. But all that changed earlier this week as the flood waters that closed portions of three interstates in north metro continued their trek south.

“I’ve never seen the river this high. And it rose fast. Monday morning it was at 19 feet and within an hour it went up to 26 feet,” said the retiree, amazingly upbeat for a man on the verge of losing his home. “I don’t know if I can recover. It looks like everything could be gone now.”

Regardless the damage, some of Gray’s friends and neighbors standing along the road Tuesday said they will not sit idle while their friend is in need. One of those friends, who identified himself as “Country,” spoke of Gray’s kindness over the years and the many ways he has helped others. Another friend standing at roadside was Tim Lawson of Georgia Trail Outfitters whose canoe and kayak clients frequent Gray’s place. They are often greeted by music from his stereo as they make their way down the river, said Lawson. Others pull along the bank and take a break to try out the rope swing and sample the snacks Gray sometimes prepares for them, Lawson said. In all, people from 32 states and three countries have stopped to visit with Coweta’s impromptu ambassador.

Lawson and some of Gray’s other friends are in the process of helping to return the kindness that has been shown to so many who have passed Rayburn’s bend in the river over the years. Others wishing to lend a hand can contact Tim Lawson at (404) 392-8637.