Possible flooding as river levels remain high

Local officials are preparing for possible flooding along the Apalachicola River, as persistent rains keep water levels high.

Alan Pierce, the county's director of administrative services, said the emergency management office has made sandbags available for public use at the state yard on Bluff Road, at the Lanark Village volunteer fire department, and at Eastpoint.

"We've done everything short of declaring a local state of emergency," said Pierce. "The sandbags are for public use if they feel their house may be threatened. People who need them are those threatened by river rise, those on the river itself. This is not a coastal flooding, or a storm surge."

Residents of the Womack Creek area of Tate's Hell State Forest were asked to evacuate beginning Wednesday morning.

Pierce said the Army Corps of Engineers is releasing water to avoid inundation, and plans to max out the flood level in Blountstown at 24 feet. He said river levels are expected to crest Friday at 23.9 feet, with the Ochlocknee cresting on Friday also at 24 feet.

"It takes a couple days for the water to get here," he said. "River levels will stay up through the weekend. Because of the rain locally, there could be flooding beyond that because of rainfall south of the dams."

Area rains had exceeded 3 inches by Wednesday morning, and were expected to continue through the end of the week.

Pierce said flood stage in Franklin County is about 14 feet, with the most historic flood about 27.5 feet. He said it starts flooding in low-lying areas of the county when levels are at 20 feet in Blountstown.