Memories from 1994 Macon flood: ‘I learned I could take a bath with 1 cup of water’

It’s been 25 years since flooding from the aftermath of Tropical Storm Alberto left 33 people dead across Georgia and Alabama.

Of those fatalities, 31 occurred in Georgia.

And in Macon and other parts of Middle Georgia, hundreds were without power and water for weeks.

The Telegraph asked you to send in memories and experiences from the flood.

Here are the stories from survivors from across Middle Georgia.

Editor’s note: Some of the responses may have been edited for brevity.

Deborah Bush: ‘We could not get out for 4 days.’

I now live in Milledgeville, GA, but at time of flood I lived on Ben Hill Drive in Macon. I lived on a hill so the flood did not reach my house, but it flooded Old Clinton Road and came to my driveway. We could not get out for 4 days, and then when we finally could, it took me over an hour to get to work on the other side of town across from old mall. No water for about 3 weeks at home or at work. When I could finally get out, I drove to Nottingham Drive looking up at interstate to see the water over the interstate and boats going down Riverside Drive. It was an experience I hope that I will never have to live through again.

Mary Madison: ‘I couldn’t believe my eyes. Everything was gone except the pictures on the wall.’

During the flood, I lived at The Vistas off of Arkwright in a ground floor apartment. I have no photos of my loss, but it is definitely in my memory all the time. It had a great impact on me. I was working at Georgia Power at the time in the Terminal Station. We were so busy that day with outages. My supervisor came and told me that I needed to get to my apartment as soon as possible. A coworker took me in his truck and we went to the apartment, but couldn’t go through because of the water. I had to wait a few days for the water to recede.

The company put me up in a hotel until I could get to my apartment. I continued to work and help those who were without lights and needed help. When I was finally able to get to my apartment, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Everything was gone except the pictures on the wall. It was such a great impact on me, not because of the furniture, but because all of my family albums, and memorabilia was destroyed. My son was a football player in high school and all of the tapes, trophies, and news articles were destroyed. I was in a trance! I’d never been through anything like this. Thank God my son wasn’t with me. I’d been transferred to Macon from Augusta in March of 1994. He was in his senior year of high school so he stayed with my parents. My coworkers and Georgia Power was very supportive. Our media dept. of Georgia Power Corporate Office in Atlanta did interviews of all employees that were affected by the flood. I’ll never forget “The Flood of ‘94”.

John Trussell: ‘We saw some wild pigs stranded on the side of the road, soon to be washed away.’

I went to the river to see the historic event and found Raye Jones, the Georgia DNR Manager of Oaky Woods, guarding the closed road, as the water was about to rise above the road. Road barricades were across the road to stop all traffic. We took a quick trip down 96 to the bridge to access the increasingly dangerous situation. The water level was only a few inches below the top of the road. Normally the water level in the Flood plain is about 20 feet below the road surface . We saw some wild pigs stranded on the side of the road, soon to be washed away. They were not doomed as they would be able to swim to higher ground or seek refuge in the tree tops until the waters receded.

On the east side of the bridge, the water was fast approaching the railroad tracks. We got back to a low spot in the road and we watched as the river slowly crept up onto the asphalt, which was an amazing sight! The road across the flood plain acted as a huge dam, but it could not hold back the massive amount of flood water. We headed back to a safe location near Waterford Golf Club, where the road rises in elevation. Soon the water rushed over the road and within an hour the road that was Highway 96 was gone, four feet under water!

David Lee Sr.: ‘I went by to check on Mama and the water was already coming up her street.’

My mother, Clara W. Lee, lived on Delano Drive, across from the intersection of Pierce Avenue and Riverside Drive. I was an outside salesman and was leaving town at 8 a.m. I went by to check on Mama and the water was already coming up her street. I took Mama to my house.

I returned in 45 minutes and the water was rising fast. I had taken the seats out of my Ford van to load up some of her things. A friend showed up by accident with a truck to help too. We loaded up things for her to set up housekeeping in an apartment. She also had my Great Grandmother’s very fragile book case with curved glass doors. As we started to try and move it to the truck, ... a 12’ Jon boat floated by. It was a miracle. We loaded it on the boat and saved the book case.

My mother passed away at 97 years old, 3 years ago. Her Bible verse that she quoted was, “ And this too will Pass. “ I don’t know where that is in the Bible, but it did pass. She lost her house and had to move into an apartment. I still live in Macon and don’t want to go through another flood like that! No running water for a month, no baths except in friends swimming pools.

Laurie Lankin: ‘To say I was glad when that summer ended is an understatement.’

Like anyone who was here during the amazing flood of 1994, I will never forget it. I remember staring out of a window in the Mercer University Connell Student Center and thinking that I could remember it raining this long before, and as hard before, but never as long AND as hard before. The next day the flood happened. I was extremely fortunate personally to have a nice dry house and car. I worked at Mercer and we had an orientation for new freshmen and their parents scheduled for right after the flood. Of course, we had to cancel it and we gathered in our “command center” in the student center taking and making calls from and to the families on a phone system that was a bit intermittent.

As with everyone else, the hunt for water and access to port-a-potty was a high priority. Mercer allowed people to take water from the outdoor pool and, as I recall, the best toilets were under a shady tree near Tarver Library. One of my favorite structures was an outdoor sink near the student center all fitted out with a soap dispenser complete with a jaunty Mercer sticker decorating it. We all became experts at using baby wipes to maintain some semblance of cleanliness. One friend even perfected being able to heat up a gallon of water in the microwave and take a hasty shower. Twice, some of us ventured out of the county (to Forsyth to our north and Warner Robins to our south) to rent a motel room and all take showers.

That was a really strange summer for me. I had just moved into my very first house on Buford Place (where I still reside), my older brother died unexpectedly a couple of days after the flood and later in the summer I brought home the wrong cat from the vet and took the wrong plane when I flew to Colorado to visit my family. To say I was glad when that summer ended is an understatement.

Jan Kukla: ‘I’ll never forget it.’

I’ll never forget it. People helped others from everywhere.

Daryl Hill: ‘They were hauling water but coffins started popping up out of the ground in Albany.’

Tom Rule: ‘I had no idea that I was driving through the remains of Alberto.’

We live in the same house now as back in ‘94, in Lake Wildwood. I was part of the music faculty at Macon State, and taught a music appreciation class on Saturdays at what is now the Cox Capitol Theater. We had spent a few days in Chattanooga at our parents, and were driving back -- me, my wife Pam, our 5-year-old son Caleb, and our 4-month-old son Patrick. As we drove through Atlanta the rain was the heaviest I had ever tried to drive through -- 20 mph on I-75, and NOT because of traffic! I had no idea that I was driving through the remains of Alberto. We got home, settled in, and the next morning heard the news that the water was going to be cut off at noon.

That’s when we learned about Alberto -- after all, it wasn’t in the news in Tennessee. The only reason we came back home was for me to teach the Saturday class. Needless to say, that class was canceled that week. We had to teach the 5-year-old to not flush -- he did quite well. I collected condensation from the AC unit and used that water in the toilets. A favorite memory was how the community came together about the water. There was no jostling in line -- we were all in the same boat. I remember the LWW dam was damaged, and the lake had to be drained. For several months you could walk around the lake bed (if you really wanted to). Macon survived -- and in fact is in better shape now because of Alberto, thanks to our water folks and all their work over the years.

Judy B. Moore: ‘My faith was restored in the kindness of others.’

I lived off Ingleside and Pierce at the time of the flood. I went home to visit my parents in Savannah during that time due to the many days of living without water in Macon. Three significant events happened while on that trip. While I was traveling east on I-16 toward Savannah, a long caravan from Hunter Army-Airfield was traveling west carrying port-a-potties. On the news that night, there was a feature about the caravan with its cargo going to Macon and why. While in Savannah, I passed by a local radio station which had an 18-wheeler parked out front with a sign that read, “Donate gallon bottles of water for the citizens of Macon affected by the flood.” I turned my car around, went inside the station, and asked the DJ on air at the time to thank the city of Savannah for the much needed water.

Before I left Savannah to return home, my father and I went to the grocery store and filled two shopping carts with gallon bottles of water. A man in line in front of us asked why we needed so much water. I explained that I was from Macon and that the flood had left us with a lot of water but none with which to drink, bathe, cook or flush toilets. He reached in his wallet and handed me a $20 bill and said he would have given me more if he had it. Soon, many other people waiting in line began handing me money. My faith was restored in the kindness of others, especially those who lived in my hometown of Savannah.

Sherry & Gene Lazzaro: ‘I was panicked envisioning our kitties trying not to drown in our first floor apartment!’

My husband Gene and I lived in Sandpiper Apartments at that time on Leisure Lake Road. We were out of state, having gone to visit my husband’s widowed mom in New Castle, PA. I turned on Good Morning America as was my habit, only to see reporter Liz Jarvis on screen saying 12” of rain in Macon, with the rapidly rising Ocmulgee behind her!! A friend was cat sitting for us. I tried to call her but got no answer. I was panicked envisioning our kitties trying not to drown in our first floor apartment! I was unable to reach my friend till the next day. Sandpiper had been evacuated due to the threat of the Leisure Lake Dam bursting. There was only one access road at the time, one way in and out, so the apartments were evacuated as a precaution. Our building was fine, slightly on a hill so no damage. The flood of ‘94 will always be a vivid memory.

Margaret Cox: ‘I was pregnant with my son praying that I would not deliver by going to get jugs of water.’

Oh how I do remember the storm in ‘94. I was pregnant with my son praying that I would not deliver by going to get jugs of water. It was so hot, but God let me endure. I had my son the 29th of July. Never will I forget. I have since moved to Warner Robins. My son is living in the Atlanta area and we are blessed.

Hoke Smith Garnto Jr.: ‘It was an experience that I hope that I will never have again in this lifetime.’

I am living in Jones County, half way between Macon and Gray, GA. During the flood, me and my family lived in the Peach Orchard off of Broadway in Macon-Bibb. We lived on Melvin Place and it was at the intersection called “Five Points.“ I had relatives that lived all around us and there was a tanker truck parked across the street from the house that me and my family lived in. At the store at the intersection of “Five Points” the city of Macon had pallets of jugs of water delivered and kept in stock for the residents. A man by the name of Johnny owned the little store called “Five Points Grocer.” Us men put on our swimming trunks and the women had on shorts and t-shirts and we would get out in the yard while it was raining with a bar of soap and shampoo and would take a bath and shampoo our hair. It was an experience that I hope that I will never have again in this lifetime.

Chris Brown: ‘I still have vivid memories of the scenes that I saw during this ordeal.’

I live in Macon, GA now, but was living in Haddock, GA at the time of the flood of ‘94. I was contacted by the GSDF (Georgia State Defense Force), informing me that I was being recalled to duty (I was discharged in 1993) to do riot control, looting control and damage assessment. I was living in Haddock at the time (I had a 15 acre farm there) and was informed that if I could not make it into Macon by road by 0700 hrs (7:00 am for civilians) that they wanted to know if I had anywhere around me to land a helicopter to get me to Macon. I had an 8 acre field as a back yard where they could and I informed them of this. Fortunately I was able to make it to Macon by road and arrived at the Red Cross Chapter House on Holt Avenue (our base of operations during the flood) by the time I was supposed to report.

MJR Troy Reynolds was the commanding officer of this mission, and he and I coordinated all operations from this base of operations. During my stay at the chapter house, we performed a multitude of duties including rescue and recovery operations to help recover people from the flooded areas and helicopter rescues from the Ocmulgee River, where some people were trapped in the tops of trees from being floated down river because of their houses that the river had floated off their foundations. I still have vivid memories of the scenes that I saw during this ordeal. It was a sight that I had never seen in Macon before and was shocked at the devastation it caused. In closing, I would like to thank all the Hamm Radio operators for their help in damage assessment communications. They were literally unsung heroes of this ordeal.

Susan Wansley: ‘Couldn’t take a bath, flush the toilet and get water out of faucet.’

I now live in Decatur, GA. I lived on Lee Road during the flood. The worst thing about the flood was we had no water! Couldn’t take a bath, flush the toilet and get water out of faucet. My sister bought me bottled water from Amelia Island, as all bottled water was gone in Macon. They had to detour to get into Macon as I-16 and I-75 were flooded along Riverside. In fact, people were jumping off the overpass of I-75 at Pierce Avenue into the deep water. Eckerds at Riverside and Pierce was just getting ready to open and it was flooded!! Also flooded up to S & S. Going toward downtown Macon on Riverside it flooded almost to Corbin. Texas Cattle Co. was a restaurant there and all their cash got flooded. I worked at Suntrust at Riverside and Wimbish. We had to dry out their money in our oven there. Suntrust gave all employees 2 gallons of water each day. We also had a port-a-potty. They put it right next to the drive in.

Eventually fire departments set up places we could get 2 gallons of water free and fill up empty bottles to use to flush the toilet. We got ours at Ingleside and Riverside where Kmart was located. Eventually we got a camp shower we could use in our shower. One day it started raining really hard. I ran outside and wet my hair; loaded my hair with shampoo and it stopped raining. We drove to my other sisters in Savannah to wash clothes. Eventually we got water back. I drank all my bottled water before I drank from the facet. I just didn’t trust the water. It is experience I’ll never forget! Many people living near water works and river lost their houses!!!

Denise Sumlin: ‘I remember we all worried about getting rained out and we did.’

On July 4th of 1994, my best friend, her family and my husband with our son who was 1 1/2 arrived at the stadium for 4th of July fireworks. I remember we all worried about getting rained out and we did. I can remember my husband Frank trying to take our normal route to take me to work and he couldn’t because it was flooded. Him and I both couldn’t work. He mowed grass with a landscape business, and I worked for a hotel. When I could go back, water was still off so we had to use pool water to flush toilets. Construction crews had to stay at the hotel until the site dried out. My husband and I had lost our food because electricity had been cut off. DFCS (Department of Family and Children Services) set up place at a school so my husband and I stood in line in the heat from 8 in the morning with our child until about 4 in the afternoon. By the time we reached the last worker before they gave us our food stamps, my son began crying. The worker gave him her lunch. My son inhaled the sandwich. I have never forgotten her kindness.

Nikki Kiff: ‘It was devastating!’

My Dad, Jackie Kiff Sr., owned Montezuma Motor Co. 55. Cars were under water along with the dealership! 10ft of water was in the showroom. It was devastating!!!!!!!!

Sherry Dalton: ‘Amazing there wasn’t any friction between anyone.’

In 1994, I was working for Bibb County Sheriff’s Office in court services. Worked at Ross Plaza for 21 days straight from 7 a.m. to midnight at the water distribution center there coordinating volunteers. We were forever having people wanting to help. Amazing there wasn’t any friction between anyone. I learned I could take a “bath” with 1 cup of water then use that to flush. It was an experience that I hope never happens again.

This story was originally published July 3, 2019 at 3:00 PM.

Britneé Davis

Sun Herald

228-896-2193

Britneé Davis is the Growth Producer for McClatchy’s South Region. The region includes the Sun Herald (Biloxi), the Telegraph (Macon), and the Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus). She’s also the creator of Color on the Coast, a digital video series that highlights people of color on the Mississippi Coast.