City of Waycross clears 27 miles of drainage canal systems ahead of Hurricane Helene

WAYCROSS, Ga. — Officials with the city of Waycross are preparing for the worst of Hurricane Helene.

School and government offices will be closed Thursday and Friday. The city manager of Waycross told Action News Jax their biggest concern is clearing their drainage canal systems.

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“The main thing is to clean those canals so if the water table does rise, then everything goes out of the city,” Waycross City Manager Ulysses Rayford.

Rayford said crews worked on clearing out storm drains and their main drainage canal systems.

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“They’re about nine canals that do all the heavy lifting, so we make sure those are clear. What I mean by clear is we cut around them, make sure there’s no debris in them,” Rayford said.

Public Works Director James Smart said they now have a special crew to do regular maintenance on the canals.

“We implemented a stormwater utility crew. They make sure all of our catch bases are clean. We have a vacuum truck that will get all the debris so our water can flow freely,” Smart said.

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Rayford said due to their lack of preparedness for last year’s hurricane Idalia, they are preparing for the worst when Helene is expected to sweep through this part of Georgia on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t as prepared for what was coming in. It taught us a valuable lesson about preparation,” Rayford said.

Rayford encourages people to stay home as emergency services will be in full force. The city manager also said the city and county government offices will be closed tomorrow and Friday. He said everything will reopen on Monday.

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