Paulding County survived the 2009 flood, as did all its residents, and cleanup is under way.

Unlike Douglas County, which had seven flood-related deaths, “we didn’t even have any serious injuries, which is amazing,” said Michael Earwood, Paulding County fire chief and Emergency Management Agency director. Earwood said it was even more amazing that during the heaviest flooding Sept. 20-21, when emergency personnel were going from trouble spot to trouble spot, the number of other emergency calls was well below normal.

“We rescued over 20 people in distress from swift water,” Earwood said.

The worst residential damage was in the southeast part of the county, where at least 98 homes in three neighborhoods suffered significantly, he said. About 20 homes in Bakers Bridge had heavy damage, he said, as well as homes in Pine Valley and Waters Road in the Nebo area.

“The Red Cross is doing assessments home to home,” Earwood said.

The boil-water advisory issued by the Paulding County Water System ended Friday after water main breaks were isolated or repaired and water was deemed safe.

County

Eleven roads in the county remained closed as of yesterday: Arnold Lane, Benson Road, Brooks Street, Denton Road, Dogwood Trail, Due West Road at Picketts Mill Creek and Summer Creek Way, Hardy Road, Maxwell Road, Rakestraw Mill Road, Waters Road and Weddington Road.

“At the height of the storm, 70-80 roads were closed,” said County Administrator Mike Jones. “Less than a dozen are closed now, and repairs are under way on the worst ones.

“The Due West Road bridge is still out and was put under contract (Monday),” he said. Repairs will take an estimated 20-22 days. A major culvert on Due West Road was blown out but is now about 60 percent repaired, he said.

“About 22 remaining roads are down to one lane and in need of culvert replacement or repair,” said Jones. “The southeast part of the county was hit worst.

“We’re still finding pockets of citizens who were affected and are coordinating debris removal,” he said. The landfill is open more hours and days temporarily, opening last Sunday and “probably on Thursdays for another month.

“At the height, about 25-30 percent of the water system was out of service and we had about a dozen line breaks,” said Jones. “Now everybody’s got water.

“Thanks to all the citizens who volunteered,” he added. “They didn’t wait for government to rescue them.”

The county park system also has post-flooding challenges, said Vickie Williams, superintendent of programs. Taylor Farm Park suffered significant damage, with soccer and ballfields flooded, the maintenance shop under water to the door, the concession stand breached by water and a truck a total loss. Soccer resumed at Taylor Farm yesterday, but ballfields are still closed because of electrical and septic issues.

Paulding Meadows flooded again with Saturday’s rains. Picnic tables were washed into the creek, and asphalt is piled.

At White Oak Park. the sand in the volleyball court washed away, as did the playground mulch. Parts of the trail were also washed out.

The Silver Comet Trail remains closed from Homer Leggett Park in Hiram to Tara Drummond Park in Dallas. Williams said there is a bad spot on the trail near Weddington Road and that the state is coming out to assess damage.

Dallas

Dallas absorbed about 18 inches of rainfall Sept. 20-21 and another 2.5 inches Saturday but had no major damage, said City Manager Kendall Smith.

“The spillway of Braly Lake down Braly Drive washed the sewer line away, and we’re bypassing the sewer right now,” he said. “We got assistance from Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to temporarily repair the spillway and we’re waiting on NRCS to survey the damage and tell us which way to go.

“Other than that, the city fared well. Several streets flooded, but it was just superficial damage and I don’t think many businesses or residences were affected. We had to evacuate Sandalwood Apartments” Sept. 20, he added.

A second wave of rainfall Saturday flooded the same streets as earlier in the week, Smith said. “When the water went down, the culverts were good and we didn’t lose any streets. Everything was so saturated. Some places were even worse Saturday than Sept. 20-21.

“We encourage all residents and businesses that have suffered damage to contact FEMA. People can also contact City Hall, where we’re doing what we can to lead people in the right direction.”

Smith said Comcast cable customers can check for updates on Channels 15 and 16, and residents can also visit the city’s Web site at www.cityofdallasga.com.

Hiram

Businesses on Ga. 92 near Hiram Sudie Road suffered significant flood damage, but Hiram survived the flood relatively well, said City Operations Manager Jody Palmer.

He said the city had to repair a well and its water tower telemetry system, “but we never ran out of water,” said Palmer. Power was out for about 18 hours, so residents with wells couldn’t operate the pumps for that time.

Palmer said Hiram is trying to identify problems with stormwater culverts, which “held fairly well citywide. Some areas need repair, but what was left in the ground did very well.

Problems leading to temporary closing of Ga. 92, Nebo Road and Powder Springs Street near the industrial park have been resolved, he said, and the city is now assessing moderate damage at Ben Hill Strickland Sr. Park, where “a sidewalk became a bridge and slate on the trail washed out.

“We were really pretty fortunate,” said Palmer.