Houses flooded, roads washed out in Holmes County

BONIFAY – Heavy rains swept Holmes County Saturday, and the huge amount of precipitation caused creeks and ponds to overflow, houses to be flooded, and roads to be washed out as emergency workers scrambled to handle the situation.

County Administrator Greg Woods said that at least nine inches of rain fell, with more possible in northern Holmes County where most of the damage was concentrated. All roads leading into Alabama were closed at least for a while, with several still closed in late afternoon.

The Choctawhatchee River should peak at 17.7 at midnight Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Neighbors, family and friends scrambled to help Patty Paul get the good out of home at the corner of Main Street and State 90 in Noma in the northeastern part of the county as water rose. Everyone plowed through thigh-deep water to load Paul’s goods into a large panel truck bound for overnight storage at the Noma Community Center.

“If anyone knows of a good, clean rental house let me know,” Paul said.

Nearby on County 173 north of State 2 Richard Tate’s home was surrounded by water, but the foundation had it far enough above water so that it would not be damaged. There was more concern for Tate’s racing cars, but the garage appeared to be holding.

The family dog wandered around the porch, but owner wasn’t too worried. “He’ll be okay. He can go around the back with the donkey,” she said.

Esto Fire Chief Charles Corcoran had what looked like a close call when he was inspecting a stretch of County 173 with water from a nearby creek flowing rapidly over it. Corcoran slipped in a cut through the pavement in the road and was swept away by the rushing water. Fortunately he was able to grab some brush and made his way back to the road.

The Adams residence at Creek Bridge was also reported to be flooded.

Swollen creeks and fishponds caused at least three breaks on State 2 in western Holmes County. The fishpond at Gilmore Road and a creek further west were two causes of flooding.

Flooding on County 179A north of Westville apparently caused one of the few accidents of the day. Everett Smith was driving his pickup north when he tried to avoid a “rooster tail” of water thrown up by another car driving through yet another overflowing creek and flipped on its roof. Smith was unhurt and solon after waters rose to a dangerous level and the road was closed.

A Holmes County ambulance was stranded early in the morning when it answered a call to pick up a deceased person on Kelly Lane in northwest Holmes County. The ambulance got to the residence but was trapped when the road was washed out. Florida Wildlife Commission officers used a 4x4 vehicle to bring the crew out and they were soon back on the road in another ambulance. The stranded vehicle will be picked up when county crews repair the road in the next few days.

Motley’s Mall in the New Hope Community was flooded by mid-morning, as was the intersection of State 2 and County 179A.

Woods said the Board of County Commissioners had declared a local state of emergency and that funding would be south for what was expected to be extensive road damage, as well as damage to private residences and businesses.

Washington County appeared to escape major damage, although there were several reports of trees down and power lines damaged.