AUGUSTA, Ga. – For residents living along Overton Road and Raes Creek, seasonal flooding is no longer a surprise — it’s a persistent, stressful reality.
Each year, heavy rains overwhelm the aging infrastructure, turning backyards into ponds, damaging homes, and leaving neighbors wondering when real solutions will come. At the center of the issue: clogged and neglected storm drains that are still not receiving top priority for repair.
Flooding Impacts Homes and Streets
John Utne, a local resident whose backyard borders Raes Creek, described the issue as plainly visible from his property. “The city storm sewer comes to daylight, and you can see along the fence line — it’s full of debris,” he explained.
His backyard is already a designated FEMA flood site, but during heavy storms, even the front yard and street flood severely. Utne and others have watched water rise several feet, reaching into garages and crawlspaces. In some cases, erosion has caused neighbors to lose more than a foot of ground elevation, exposing tree roots and creating stubborn sinkholes.
FEMA Funds Address Creek Cleanup — But Not the Drains
Over the past weekend, residents were notified that FEMA funds would be used to clean up debris and fallen trees from Raes Creek — remnants of Hurricane Helene. However, the $10 million effort does not cover actual storm drain repairs…