Floodwaters had receded in Walker County on Wednesday morning, as homeowners and public officials alike assessed the damage done by unprecedented rainfall levels over the previous four days.

The one road that remained closed as of Wednesday is Daughtery Gap, which was closed due to a landslide. The Hunter and Hamilton Hills mobile home parks also experienced road damage, according to Walker County coordinator David Ashburn.

Officials have been notified that the county has been declared a disaster area due to damage on public property. Homeowners are urged to notify officials about private property damage that was incurred.

The measure of damage done to both public and private property helps in determining if Walker County could be declared a federal disaster area.

Ashburn asked homeowners who wish to report damage in flooded homes or apartments to call the Road Department at 706-375-5601 with their estimated claim amounts.

Ashburn also cautioned that FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Administration, “will not come in with an open checkbook,” but that homeowners may be eligible for some aid and low interest loans.

The county has suffered some damage in the sheriff’s parking lot and at one of the fire stations. Several other county buildings experienced roof leaks.

LaFayette

LaFayette seems to have borne the largest single-structure loss. Fred’s Discount Store on 307 W. Patton suffered significant damage at an estimated cost of $2 million to $2.5 million, according to LaFayette city manager Johnny Arnold.

Arnold also estimated the cost of the damage at Medithrift pharmacy to be near $100,000. LaFayette also sustained minor damage to roads and a few city buildings including the electric department and the clubhouse at the public golf course. Arnold said the initial estimate for repairs to these structures to be $50,000.

“We actually got off pretty light in comparison to some places,” Arnold said.

Lookout Mountain

Lookout Mountain storm sewer manager Brad Haven has concerns for the grinder pumps that sometimes fail during flooding.

“When we have that level of rainwater flowing into the system, it will usually cause the seals to fail,” Havens said.

The rainwater flooding brings with it dirt, sand and trash that can strain the two pumps that operate the system. It costs $8,000 to replace each one of the four seals involved.

Although Cinderella and Fort Trace roads will remain open despite damages, they require $5,000 in repairs to a broken culvert, according to Daniel Kates, who oversees the roads department for Lookout Mountain.

Chickamauga

It could have been much worse for the residents of Chickamauga if not for a flood mitigation program implemented in the early nineties. The program, a $2 million project, raised 55 of the low-lying homes in the 100-year flood plain.

Chickamauga city manager John Culpepper has only been notified about three houses and two mobile homes that have experienced flooding on their main floors.

A few local businesses saw some damage, however. Culpepper said that floodwaters “got into the post office and the Ace Hardware store” in Chickamauga.

“It’s the worst I have seen in my thirty-six years of living here, and I have seen a half-dozen floods in that time,” Culpepper said. “We actually had two floods. One was a headwater flood, and the second one was backwater flooding from the Chickamauga Creek once it backed up.”

Lee and Gordon’s Mill was pressure-washed and hosed down Wednesday morning. Flooding in the building, which has stood since 1857, reached higher than during Hurricane Opal in 1995, according to Richard Barclift, surpassing the previous high-water mark by nearly two feet.

Rossville

While Rossville may not have made the five o’clock news like other local towns, the city did not come out unscathed during the deluge.

Rossville’s city park sustained $26,000 in damages. Roughly 75 percent of the walking track was washed away, as well as about $12,000 worth of “safe coat,” which is used on baseball surfaces, according to Rossville public works director Mark Harris.

The Rossville maintenance barn also flooded eight inches deep, causing damage to smaller tools.

Glen Avenue and Oak Street need $5,000 in repairs near a drain tile.

Lein Bach Road, which leads from the Duck Pond near downtown up to South Mission Ridge Road, sustained serious damage and remained closed for repairs as of Wednesday. The road buckled under the weight of a sewer-vac truck during flooding. The work crew driving the truck said the sound of the road failing was like a shotgun.

According to Harris, the damage to Lein Bach Road stretches for about 70 feet. Repairing the road will require a large retaining wall, and cost an estimate $400,000 to $500,000 to complete.