Crews are still at work repairing a number of roads throughout the county damaged by widespread flooding a month ago, and though the process has been slow, they’re seeing steady success.

Of the 68 roads closed or otherwise affected by flooding on Sept. 21, there were 32 roads that were completely washed out with a portion of the road destroyed. The other roads affected by the flooding experienced damage from waters running across the roadway, though they remained generally intact.

Now, slightly more than a month after the storms that prompted President Barack Obama to declare Carroll County a federal disaster site, about a dozen roads remain closed, and the majority of those should reopen within the next week or so, said Carroll County Public Works Director Charles Pope.

But, Pope said, there are three roads that will remain closed indefinitely – Cross Plains-Hulett and Horsley Mill roads in the county and Twin Lakes Drive in Villa Rica. Both Cross Plains-Hulett and Horsley Mill roads saw major damage to bridges along the respective thoroughfares, and the county is waiting for the Georgia Department of Transportation to inspect the bridges before determining how to proceed. As it looks now, Pope said it’s unlikely either of the bridges will be declared repairable, with the flooding rendering them a total loss.

“I think with both of the bridges, [inspectors] will recommend replacement because of the size of the damage and the elevation of the bridges themselves,” Pope said.

The portion of Twin Lakes Drive running across the Twin Lakes Dam was damaged when the dam sprung a leak due to the sheer amount of water in the lakes, and the back portion of the dam slid into the roadway. From there, crews were able to drain the lake to lessen any future damage to the road, but there’s much to be done before the road can be re-opened. Pope met with a group of engineers regarding the road Thursday, though there’s little way of telling how long it’s going to be before the road is opened, as the flood damage has called into question the structural integrity of the road.

Altogether, the roadwork that’s taken place over the last four weeks has cost the county upwards of $300,000, Pope said, with reimbursement requests for the funds now being processed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

According to Carroll County EMA Director Tim Padgett, FEMA workers could be in the county for at least another two months as the damage is fully assessed and county and municipal reimbursement continues to be requested. Early damage estimates on public property were in excess of $22 million.

It’s hard to say how much money has been received by area residents trying to put their lives back to normal, as flood waters damaged more than 700 homes across the county. According to Dan Dockery, the associational missionary for the Carrollton Baptist Association, one of the many nonprofit groups that has helped residents with the reconstruction effort, the relief process has slowed in recent days, the result of delays in the official effort to condemn severely damaged houses. While the houses are waiting to be cleared as habitable or condemned, relief crews have been forced to delay any work done on those houses, a process that could remain drawn out during the weeks to come.

Even with the wait, Dockery said all relief crews have worked hard to give those affected by the flooding the sense that they’re not alone in trying to put the pieces back together again.

“I think we have done a lot of good,” he said. “I think we’ve reached out to folks that didn’t know what to do, and so we’ve been able to go in and give them some hope along the way.”