The Yellow River has crested and it appears the worst of the flood of 2009 has passed.
Rockdale County Public Schools will be open Wednesday, Sept. 23, according to RCPS spokesperson Cindy Ball.
All county offices will be open Wednesday as well and back to business as usual, said county spokesperson Holly Lafontaine.
It appears Ga. Highway 20 will remain open, said Lafontaine. GDOT and public safety officials are in the process of determining if one side of Ga. Highway 138, which was closed earlier today, can be safely reopened.
Rockdale Water Resources wastewater treatment plants have been reportedly up and running during the entire flooding period. The county's reservoir and dams are holding up as well, said Lafontaine.
The Yellow River reportedly crested in Pleasant Hill around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. In Conyers near Milstead, the Yellow River was measured at 22.4 feet at 4 p.m. Tuesday and still rising, according to the National Weather Service.
At the staging areas at Honey Creek Elementary and Conyers Middle School, less than a dozen families responded, possibly indicating many were helped by family and friends, said Lafontaine.
Officials estimate more than 100 homes were evacuated, either with help from emergency safety personnel or on their own.
Snapping Shoals EMC cut off power to Lake Capri, Riverside Mobile Home Park, River Chase Subdivision and the Potter's House Church on Crowell Road, per instructions of the Rockdale Fire Department, according to Snapping Shoals EMC spokesperson Leigh-Ann Burgess. "The power will remain off until we are given the OK by the county to turn it back on," she said.
Public works personnel are gearing up for the clean-up effort that will begin soon, said the county spokesperson.
"Once the waters go down, there's going to be a lot of issues with debris," said Lafontaine.
Although it is too soon to begin estimating damages in the county, state Insurance Commissoner John Oxendine estimated flood losses were at $250 million, mostly uninsured.
For more updates, check back to www.rockdalenews.com
