This past weekend in Baldwin County, the Oconee River pushed past its limit.
The Oconee in Milledgeville peaked just below moderate flood stage, prompting alerts to both Emergency Management Director Wayne Johnson and people who live on the river.
“Georgia Power opens the floodgate, we get a notification," Johnson said.
"On Friday morning, 10:18, they called for the second gate, then called at 11:10 for the third gate," Sherry Tanner, whose family lives along the river, said.
Water quickly rose, captivating parts of the Oconee Greenway.
"The water, as you see behind me, will start coming out of this boat ramp here," Johnson described, pointing to the ramp, now able to be seen as the river continues to recede below flood stage again.
Georgia Power is the one in charge of the floodgates, and Tanner says the notifications kept coming.
"They called at 12:30 for the fourth gate, then they called at 2:11 to let us know they were opening up the fifth gate," Tanner said.
The flowing waters made part of Tanner’s father’s property quickly become part of the Oconee.
"Water really came rushing in really fast," Tanner said.
The Oconee runs down into Dublin and is forecast to rise above minor flood stage by Tuesday, January 8, but unlike in Milledgeville when the river surpasses minor flood stage, Laurens County Emergency Management Director Don Bryant says they only start closing roads at 25 feet.
25 feet is considered moderate flood stage.
Basically, closures go by how flood prone an area is.
The Ocmulgee Heritage Trail in Macon off of Gray Highway was completely underwater at minor flood stage.
The trail is now left as a dumping ground for the river’s debris as the Ocmulgee goes back within its banks.
The flood warning for the Ocmulgee at Macon is in place until overnight Monday night.
For the Oconee in Milledgeville, the flood warning is set to expire by this upcoming weekend