Valdosta Neighborhood Covered In Raw Sewage —WCTV

As he indicated yesterday, Gabe Fisher got his sewage-covered neighborhood on WCTV last night.

Greg Gullberg wrote for WCTV yesterday, Valdosta Neighborhood Covered In Raw Sewage,

After days of torrential rain, the same rain that caused the rivers to flood, the sewage pump has been overwhelmed in the Meadow Brook Subdivison just off Gornto Road.

"You know how bad it smells in a bathroom when someone goes in and uses a public restroom. Multiple that ten times," said Chad Harrison, a local resident.

The whole area behind their houses is just covered in raw sewage. Your boots sink down into it with every step. We're talking everything from human waste, to toilet paper, to hygiene products and a whole other list of things that are just too graphic to mention.

"Probably about 12 to 14 inches of raw sewage," said Harrison. "It's just everywhere. It's all up and down the creek. It's all behind everybody's houses."

There's more in the WCTV story, such as that the city has included neighbors in meetings, but has not yet changed anything. The city's PR about the flooding says:

With the flood waters beginning to recede, the city has initiated cleanup efforts in low-lying and flooded areas, which include disinfection where necessary. Cleanup efforts will continue for several days or until all affected areas have been disinfected and cleaned. Until then, the city continues to encourage the public to avoid any contact with the flood waters for their health and safety. For more information, contact the Public Information Office at (229) 259-3548.

I'd still like to know why and when local authorities let all these houses get built in a flood plain and what they plan to do about that now.

-jsq