"Right now I’m sort of right in the middle of the city, and I grew up just a couple of blocks from where we have some of the most significant flooding and it’s been common for the water to come up over a bridge in the area several times over probably the last 20 or 30 years. But, we have a lot of long time residents in the area and everyone’s saying they’ve never seen the water get this high."Many roads in south Georgia are closed to traffic due to flooding, and about two dozen school systems were closed today.
"What we're seeing is a continued rise in the river and creek levels, particularly across southwest, south-central, southeast, and even central Georgia."As example this morning, flooding includes the Satilla River in Waycross, affecting residents in Pierce and Ware counties. Moderate flooding is happening now, with major flood stage for that river forecast by this afternoon. Many secondary roads are closed across south Georgia and central portions of the state. For a time last night, a section of Interstate-75 in the Cordele area had to be closed to traffic with water covering the roadway.
Officials in southeast Georgia reported a new fire that sparked in the Little Okefenokee Swamp Sunday afternoon. It's just north of Folkston, and four miles east of the U.S.-1 and S.R.-121 intersection. This is all part of the bigger picture, in which wildfires in total have burned over half a million acres in southern Georgia and northern Florida. About a dozen homes south of Waycross remained evacuated Sunday.
As dry conditions prevail across the state, officials are urging Georgians to use extreme caution with campfires and cookouts today as they celebrate the holiday. Giving up outdoor cookouts altogether is an option officials would like residents to consider.
Late Thursday afternoon, residents in an area southwest of Waycross were under mandatory evacuation orders when strong winds pushed flames across fire-lines.
The order was issued for those living on Swamp Road from Suwannee Chapel Road to Jim Cox Road, and another portion of Suwanee Chapel Road from Suwannee Chapel Church to Swamp Road.
The massive complex of fires together has burned over 380-thousand acres.
There have been arrests of two juveniles for arson, connected to fires in the southeast Georgia area. A 16-year-old boy was charged with setting a brush fire near Jesup. Another boy, 12-years-old, is facing charges of starting a blaze near Waycross. Both fires were quickly put out and burned less than an acre each.
Governor Sonny Perdue's office says all arson fires have been contained. A special arson investigation task force is still following many leads. Investigators are still in search of a truck driven by an arson witness.
It was a tough day on the fire lines Thursday as the massive blaze in southeast Georgia forced additional evacuations and more damage.
Gusty winds kicked-up a fire near Nahunta--east of Waycross. Officials said 25 to 30 homes were evacuated. It also affected a stretch of state highway 301.
Authorities also asked people in and around the community of Astoria to leave their homes again, as fire from the Okefenokee swamp drew closer. Many of the same people had left their homes for a brief time early Wednesday morning. Emergency officials also had to close a 16-mile stretch of U.S.-1 between Waycross and Jacksonville.
22 homes have now been destroyed in total since the fire started a week and a half ago. The blaze has blackened 95 square miles of land.
Firefighters are working 12-hour shifts or longer in trying to control the blaze. Officials say it is still about 50-percent contained. About 600 firefighters from multiple agencies and states are involved.
Residents of the Astoria community early Wednesday morning were evacuated briefly when flames crept close. Those residents are advised to remain on-guard, as southwesterly winds are forecast for today and tomorrow, which could fan the flames.
Ware County schools yesterday re-opened for the first time since being closed for six straight days.
Fire officials will hold an informational meeting for residents in Ware County tonight at 7pm. It will be held at the Ware County Middle School.
Wildfires continue to burn in southeast Georgia, more than a week after flaring up. Schools in Ware County will be closed today for a sixth straight day. Officials say that more than 56-thousand acres have now burned, with 18 homes destroyed.
Containment of the fire is at about 45-percent, but firefighters would like to get down another 23 miles of ‘firebreaks’.
There is some fire burning in the Okefenokee Swamp, and flames have now drawn to within two-thousand feet of the northern edge of the Wildlife Refuge.
Over 55-thousand acres have burned in southeast Georgia--the result of wildfires that continue to rage in the area around Waycross. Officials with the Georgia Forestry Commission say that firefighters had a good day Sunday, able to get many ‘firebreaks’ put down. The largest blaze is said to now be 45-percent contained.
The threat to the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge remains. Fires are within a quarter to half-mile of the northwestern edge of the Refuge. Blaine Ekberg of the Georgia Forestry Commission said today that a portion of the northwestern section of the swamp is burning. The popular swamp park from the north entrance remains closed. The west and east entrances to the Okefenokee's Wildlife Refuge are open.
Schools in Ware County will be closed again today. It will be a fifth straight day for about six-thousand students to miss classes due to the fires. School officials will decide later today whether it will be safe enough to re-open schools for Tuesday.