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Wheeler County struggling to recover after Hurricane Helene, recent storms

EMA Director Steve Adams says one of the hardest-hit areas are around Highway 19 north of Glenwood, which is closed down due to flooding

WHEELER COUNTY, Ga. — Two days of steady rain left flooding and road damage in Wheeler County. One stretch of Highway 19 north of Glenwood - near Ochwalkee Road - will stay closed until flooding is clear. 

Cleaning up after storms in Wheeler County is something Chase Wooten and Wally Douglas are used to.

Wooten lives by Highway 19. He says after Hurricane Helene, he spent weeks repairing his home. Now, he experienced two days of consistent rain that flooded the area near his home and caused even more damage.

"After the rain we was coming out the driveway [and] we just seen a river," Wooten said. "I got out to start cutting trees and we see water start coming through the floorboards."

Wooten says his family took their boat through the floods to help people trapped in their homes.

"Our neighbors they live in a single wide trailer, and they were about to wash off the blocks. Nobody knew I was standing up here where the road was cut off," Wooten said. "I jumped out I helped them to get in the boat."

Wally Douglas says he gets sad when he thinks about all of the recent storms that have damaged Wheeler County.

“Georgia is beautiful in all parts of it and to see all of the trees that are destroyed and the houses," Douglas said. "Some of the houses are historic and older and you just can't rebuild them that way. It kind of hurts you." 

He says he is still working to remove trees and damage from Hurricane Helene. Douglas said the recent rain made the damage from Helene worse, with more water damage and more stress. 

"It's a shock to what you normally drive by and see in this area," Douglas said. 

RELATED: Flooding forces Highway 19 to close north of Wheeler County, per report

RELATED: 'The Lord was watching over Wheeler County': Meet the young people who helped their community recover from Hurricane Helene

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