Thankfully, the rain has slacked up.
After my neighborhood flooded a few weeks ago, I am a bit gun shy, and every time we get a little sprinkle, I fear the worst.
The drainage ditch that winds down Oak Drive and crosses under Sterling Street is fed by two separate ditches .
When a heavy rain hits, the water merges and cannot pass under the Sterling Street bridge quick enough. Eventually, the water will flood over onto the streets and lawns in the vicinity.
The night it flooded, water was inches from entering my neighbor's house. Another neighbor stood in her kitchen, watching in horror, as the water came dangerously close to her back door. The water was so high, it jumped the retaining wall surrounding the house across the street from mine, and nearly covered the porch.
I have been told my street has flooded for years, and I am certain residents just dealt with the problem. However, it is high time something is done about it.
Last fall, residents along the same ditch east of my street came before the Mayor and Board of Aldermen to request assistance with the ditch. Continuous flooding had caused the ditch to erode large portions of their property.
Although erosion has taken many feet of their property, they continue to be taxed for the property that was lost. One resident's property line has eroded within feet of her home.
Drainage is a serious issue in Carroll and Montgomery counties.
In Carrollton, the town leaders have been seeking a solution for eroding ditches for some time. Throughout Winona, not just near Sterling Street, drainage ditches are in need of serious repair. Ditches crossing through the Winona Recreation Park, near Tyler Holmes Memorial Hospital and Winona High School are all in need of repair.
A solution is possible, but it would cost these municipalities millions.
Earlier this year, counties and municipalities across the United States proposed funding for infrastructure projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Paving projects, sewer and water treatment upgrades, and even drainage ditch rehabilitations were proposed for funding. So we wait.
I, however, believe there should be a plan B.
A solution must be found, and if funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is not received, it does not mean the quest for funding should stop.
Grants, low interest loans through the Soil and Water Conservation District, and assistance through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality should be sought by our elected leaders in addition to economic stimulus monies. More than likely, local governments will be required to fund a portion of projects funded with stimulus monies.
I am not suggesting raising taxes. Heaven knows, Americans are being taxed plenty for this and that, and more proposed increases are being debated by our national government. I am simply suggesting a little ingenuity.
If we sit on our hands and wait for our "share" of stimulus funds, we may very well end up with nothing.
As for residents dealing with drainage problems and erosion, they may not be so lucky during the next flash flood. At what cost to the residents will it take for our leaders to take an aggressive approach to this problem? Loss of property as erosion eats away someone's land? Loss of homes as water floods homes destroying all they own? Loss of life if someone is swept away by flood waters or a house eventually collapses into the ditch?
In my opinion, the cost of not fixing the problem is much greater.
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