A group of homeowners stands at the edge of what’s now a cliff. Water rushes through the space where just the day before a road connected their homes with the rest of Leon County. Flooding from Wednesday’s storm washed away parts of Sir Richard Road that cross Polk Creek,
Leon County officials say about 100 families were temporarily stranded Thursday when flooding caused by a deluge of nearly 10 inches of rain during an overnight storm blocked their ability to leave their property. About 50 of those people live on Sir Richard Road.
Construction to repair the road began almost as soon as the rain stopped.
That's impressive for Cheryl Atkinson, who lives on the near side of the creek, meaning she can still get out
“They’re on the ball today, because this is a private road. It’s not County maintained," Atkinson says.
The county’s Private Road Assistance Program typically helps repair private roads in emergency situations, that's what's happening here, says Leon County Commissioner Christan Caban
“What we’re seeing here is a private road that got washed out and that really should take a month to fix," Caban says. "Leon County Staff and public works and the Country administrator have committed to getting this done today.”
Caban represents District 2, which includes Sir Richard Road.
“We represent Fort Braden, we represent Woodville, folks that have a lot of private roads that are dirt roads," Caban says. "A lot of times we’re going in there and we’re having to grade them and keep them in working order for them because it is important for school buses and emergency vehicles to get in there.”
Caban is is glad to see the work underway to fix Sir Richard Road, but he says he'd like to talk with his fellow commissioners about plans to expand the county's Private Road Assistance Program to provide more help in more situations.
But right now he says he's grateful for all the county is doing to help his constituents following the storm.
“We saw a deputy in partnership with the fire department, out wading in water removing people from their homes that were flooded. So I can’t thank them enough," Caban says.
By the end of the day Thursday, officials said the repair work on Sir Richard Road had been completed.
