We had an unusually large amount of rainfall in a very short period of time on Wednesday in Beulah.
I received several Facebook messages, phone calls and emails about flooding throughout the area. One neighborhood's storm retention pond was inundated and residents were in fear that it would
overflow from the top and flood the houses in the neighborhood.
I also received calls and photographs indicating that the red clay and dirt being utilized by several developments throughout the area was washing through silt fences and over roadways and into private ponds.
Beulah road at one point was covered in as much as 2 inches of water at some locations north of Mobile Hwy. according to one resident.
Staff, to their credit, immediately went out to Beulah to check conditions at the Navy Oaks ponds. I drove the area after work at around 5:30PM----and thankfully the water had receded from the roadways I traveled (Helms,Beulah, Mobile Hwy, Klondike, 9-Mile Road).
So how did this happen--what was the cause?
According to a local engineer, Tom Hammond from Hammond Engineering, this event was actually greater than a 100-year flood event for a short duration of time. He sent staff and the commissioners the chart and weather station data, above, showing that in just 2 1/2 hours--we were hit with a 5.29 inches of rain--which exceeds the intensity of a 100-year flood event according to Hammond.
"The rainfall event yesterday in Beulah was 5.29 inches in 2.5 hours which far exceeded a 100 year rainfall event. The weather station is at the Beulah Nursery. It is likely rainfall exceeded the 100 year event in other parts of the county as well. Please see attached. Figured this documentation may help with responses to citizen concerns." stated Hammond in an email to the county.
