BLACKSHEAR, Ga. — Tropical Storm Debby washed away a Southeast Georgia roadway Tuesday, leaving hundreds of residents trapped just outside Blackshear. The roadway was later temporarily repaired.
College Avenue, the only road in and out of the Blue Lake subdivision, was left crumbling as Debby swept through the area.
The Georgia Department of Transportation dumped asphalt chips into the roadway, hoping to build it up enough so it will be passable for the time being.
A GDOT spokesperson said they believe about 200 people were trapped by the washout.
First Coast News crews saw some residents jumping into the pits and climbing over, trying to get necessities for their families. One man crawled around the collapsed road with a suitcase, saying he had a plane to catch and his ride was waiting on the other side.
“It’s kind of a crappy situation to be in," said Bryce Dixon, who lives on College Avenue.
Dixon had to call out of work Tuesday.
It’s not that he wasn’t feeling well or had an emergency – he simply couldn’t get there when he found a gaping hole on the road he uses for his commute.
“A piece of history unfolding in front of us," said Dixon. "Once in a lifetime kind of thing. It’ll be something to tell your grandkids, generations down the road.”
Dixon had to climb through the massive holes in order to get to the other side, where his daughter was.
His neighbors had to do something similar – running to the Dollar General at the end of the street to bring back necessities for the 200 or so people trapped.
It took about three hours for Georgia Department of Transportation crews to make it passable, but a county commissioner said it would’ve been weeks if Pierce County didn’t get help from state elected officials and GDOT.
At one point during the work, an ambulance had to come through to deliver medication to a trapped patient.
“Circumstance and stuff happen, but you have to be prepared," said Dixon.
A GDOT spokesperson says the asphalt chips are a temporary fix, but at least Dixon will be able to get to work in the morning.
The GDOT spokesperson said Pierce County will take over the project for a more permanent solution. One person told First Coast News she hopes the situation puts pressure on county staff to invest more in road projects rather than just patchwork.
