A year after water from Spring Creek rushed into Loyd Johnson's home, the floorboards still bend and bow like rails on a roller coaster track.
The bedroom and kitchen in his East Ridge house have been repaired, but the bathroom, living room and dining room still need flooring work. And that doesn't count the plumbing and supports under the house that need attention.
"I thought I'd have it done by now," Johnson said Wednesday, propped against a piece of furniture and staring despondently at the ridges and valleys in his floorboards.
Residents, businesses and governments in East Ridge and in Trion, Ga., as well as Catoosa and Walker counties in Georgia all hoped cleanup up from last September's floods would be done by now, but some problems linger.
Heavy rains beginning Sept. 19, 2009, forced a swollen Chattooga River over levees in Trion, flooding City Hall and the board of education building and drowning a teenager.
Video: Flood waters engulf East Ridge Video: Flooding displaces 500 people Video: East Ridge flooding Video: 23rd Street flooding
Creeks throughout Northwest Georgia and East Ridge jumped their banks and soaked homes, businesses and government buildings. In East Ridge, 149 homes were damaged. About 400 homes were evacuated across North Georgia.
Coupled with similar flooding in metro Atlanta, the Federal and Georgia Emergency Management agencies spent more than $52 million in disaster grants and $41 million in loans for recovery.
"Everybody thinks you can get back up in a year," said East Ridge resident Lisa Evans, who has spent $45,000 so far to make her home livable after three feet of water swept through it. "If you've got the money, you can get it done in two months, but not here."
She does not have flood insurance, she said.
Mount Vernon Mills in Trion had to replace a couple of motors and truck in some production chemicals when the mill's rail line washed out.
Plant Manager Don Henderson said once the rail line was repaired, business was back to normal at the denim factory and there have been no lasting effects.
"Certainly, we still have people to talk about it recently," Henderson said. "Those are the kind of things that become things you look back on and remember."
Trion City Hall has reopened but the school board still has not returned to its flood-ravaged former home. Crews recently finished re-leveling many of the city's athletic fields.
Trion Mayor Johnny Ingle, who took office five months after the flood, estimated the total damage claims through FEMA and the city to be at least $3.5 million. The city still has a request pending for FEMA money to buy out an apartment complex that has flooded several times.
East Ridge leaders are trying to reinstate a 15-year-old grant that would allow them to look into building a levee or buying some of the properties that flood frequently.
"I think the biggest question is: Where do we go from here?" said Mayor Mike Steele.
The city has started a community project to keep Spring Creek clear so water can drain better during heavy rains. Volunteers have found logs, appliances and more than 100 shopping carts among debris in the creek.
East Ridge officials estimated about $200,000 worth of damage to public property.
In Catoosa County, the Battlewood Apartments were flooded and a culvert on Mount Pisgah Road was washed out.
Fort Oglethorpe City Manager Ron Goulart said cleanup and repairs cost "well over $100,000." The city's paperwork and claims have been taken care of, but Goulart said some private residents are still recovering.
"We're just hoping it doesn't happen again," Goulart said.
Contact Andy Johns at ajohns@timesfreepress.com or call 423-757-6324.
