Caleb Appleman couldn’t make it to a work meeting one day. He wasn’t sick, and he didn't have a family emergency, but every road around him was flooded.
“This past spring, I had a meeting at Lake Hope, and I could just not get to Lake Hope State Park,” Appleman said. “Every road going in was flooded.”
Vinton County residents often store several days worth of supplies in case of flooding, which can sometimes shut down major roads in and out of the county.
The rural county has long been subject to flooding. While most houses aren’t built in areas that can flood, many roads pass through flood zones and become inaccessible after heavy rain.
Athens City Councilman Jeff Risner, D-2nd Ward, who grew up in McArthur in Vinton County, said the two major roads that go through town are often subject to flooding.
“There’s parts of those highways … that periodically flood,” Risner said. “At that point, you’re pretty much cut off. Then if you’re out in the country, far from the main roads, and you’re just on the back country roads. They flood, and when they do, that’s it. You’re just stranded there until it all goes down.”
Though most years see only a few instances of heavy flooding, Appleman said this year has been worse than average.
“This past year has been the worst in recent memory as far as flooding,” Appleman said. "I don't know that it was really an issue until this year."
William Faught, the director of the Vinton County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), said Vinton County floods often recede within a few days. He also said people should be prepared with supplies.
“I advise folks every year to have enough supplies for a couple days,” Faught said. “Our water comes up and goes down pretty quick in this area.”
Faught and Appleman said they keep supplies in their houses in case of sudden flooding.
“I tell folks to have a couple days worth of supplies and try to maintain that and keep that on hand,” Faught said. “(Supplies include) medicines, food, stuff like that. Especially if they know that we've got bad storms coming into the area.”
Purchasing supplies, however, isn’t always easy in a county with few grocery stores. Appleman said basic supplies like bottled water often sell out before a big storm.
Despite the construction of a new grocery store, much of Vinton County still lacks access to fresh food on a daily basis, according to a previous Post report. That need is exasperated during times of flooding and limited access to areas outside the county.
Appleman said he often receives text alerts about flooding from the EMA and the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office.
“We partner up with the highway and road departments to monitor road closures and get that out to the public,” Faught said of the alerts that are sent out.
Faught urged residents not try to cross floodwaters when flooding occurs.
“It doesn't take a lot of water to move a car or person, and once you get trapped in it, it's very hard to get out,” Faught said. “Stay out of floodwater and hold tight at the house as long as you can.”
