The Augusta Area is Especially Prone to Flooding

11/28/2020 (Permalink)

Since its Founding, Augusta has Suffered Several Serious Flooding Events

Augusta’s location on the Savannah River has been both a blessing and a curse since its founding.  The river the “Garden City” is situated on, along with the Georgia Railroad, has given it easy access to both the continent’s interior and the East Coast, making it a crucial transport point.  This waterway has also provided the necessary resources to fuel the community’s industrial development and economic growth.  As a result of all this, by the mid-1800s, Augusta had become one of the most important urban centers in the American South.  At the same time, though, the river has often represented a major source of economic loss.  Both the region’s particularly heavy rainfalls and the city’s specific location on the waterway have made it especially prone to catastrophic flooding.            

The Benefits of Being on the Savannah River

Initially, the easy access the river provided to coastal shipping at Savannah made Augusta a transportation hub for area agricultural products.  Then, in 1845, the city’s regional importance was greatly enhanced by the establishment of the Augusta Canal and opening of the Georgia Railroad.  These two major developments transformed the community into a burgeoning southern industrial and transportation center.  The canal facilitated commercial travel around the local falls and powered several mills, factories, and war industries during the Civil War.  At the same time, the railroad effectively linked the city, via the Tennessee River, to the Mississippi River.  This all made transporting goods from America’s interior, through Augusta, to the East Coast much more efficient and cost-effective.

The Hardships Caused by the River

Georgia’s second-largest city, Augusta, is prone to severe flooding because of its location.  It is situated on the Savannah River at the Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line, where the more elevated Piedmont region meets the Atlantic Coastal Plain.  So, whenever storms hit, all excess upland water rapidly drains down onto our prosperous community below.  The effects of this unfortunate positioning are only exacerbated by the fact that the river drains an area with some of the heaviest rainfalls in North America.  Heavy springtime rains and those from tropical storms and hurricanes, which move up the Atlantic Coast between June and November 30th, are often the culprits of our serious floods.  As a consequence of these often unpredictable deluges, local residents and business owners often suffer substantial losses.           

Tips for Mitigating Potential Losses Before a Flood Occurs

Although the Augusta area is more vulnerable to flooding than other places, there are effective ways to limit your risks of suffering catastrophic damage.  While some of these may seem obvious, there are others you may not have considered.  The following is a brief list of measures you can take before flooding occurs to mitigate potential losses:

• Find out what your property insurance policy covers and if it does not cover flood damage, buy additional flood insurance
• Keep valuables and insurance policies in a bank safe deposit box or at a secured storage site away from your residence  
• Locate electric panels, furnaces, water heaters, and other appliances in higher parts of your home that are unlikely to be flooded
• Move expensive rugs, furniture, and other valuable items to higher floors of your house
• Place sandbags around the perimeter of your property to divert floodwaters away from it
• Watch weather forecasts, know essential storm-related terminology, and have all your preparations completed before storms arrive

In each of these ways, you can often safeguard your property and gain some peace of mind in the face of potential flood-related disasters.

What to Do During a Flood

As floods are occurring, it is paramount that you remain both calm and alert.  Although natural disasters can be quite traumatic, you need to remain calm so you can successfully work through various related problems as they arise.  At the same time, you need to remain ever aware of your situation as it unfolds.  Here are some tips for avoiding flood hazards:

• Vigilantly monitor emergency information sources like NOAA Weather Radio, local radio and TV stations, and the Ready Georgia app
• Stay away from downed power lines
• Never drive around barricades or through standing water
• Avoid all contact with floodwaters
• Follow the instructions of local officials

If followed, this advice should help keep you safe during a flooding event.

What to Do After Floodwaters Have Receded

After floodwaters recede, it is important that you:

• Not return home until authorities say it is safe
• Contact a reputable flood damage cleanup & repair service as soon as possible
• Stay out of rooms with weakened floors or sagging ceilings
• Refrain from drinking your home’s tap water

With all that said, your local SERVPRO of Augusta South/Burke & Wilkes Counties is always here to help you recover from flood damage.  Call us anytime at (706) 843-1990.

How is SERVPRO Different from Other Augusta Flood Damage Remediation Services?

While there are several flood damage cleanup and restoration companies in Augusta, few have the expertise or specialized high-tech equipment that SERVPRO does.  It is both of these superior attributes that enable our company to go above and beyond what other services can do.  Our specific training and gear include:

• Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) training
• Technicians individually trained and certified in Applied Structural Drying, Applied Microbial Remediation, Water Damage Restoration, and Odor Control
• State-of-the-art water extraction, drying, microbe-eliminating, and odor-neutralizing equipment and chemicals, including:  powerful water extractors; wet vacs; air movers; high-velocity box fans; various kinds of dehumidifiers; Injectidry systems; thermal and ultra-low volume foggers; and a wide array of commercial-grade disinfectants and antimicrobials

Utilizing all of these cutting edge resources, SERVPRO of Augusta South/Burke & Wilkes Counties is usually able to successfully remediate your flood damage and return your home to its pre-flood condition in record time.  So, whenever you are faced with flood-related issues of any magnitude, remember that there is a high-quality neighborhood service that is always ready to help you.  Call us anytime, day or night, at (706)-843-1990 for assistance.