Weather rains money for some, dampens others

Mold:

Rain, rain, go away. Or … please come to stay?

The bone-deep soaking metro Atlanta’s weathered in recent weeks isn’t just wet in comparison to the recent drought years; it’s approaching all-time records. The rain also is making its mark throughout the state, but whether it serves as a wet blanket, or is raining money, depends on where you sit.

Peanut farmers are sitting pretty, and crossing their fingers for more. Corn farmers, if they planted at the right time, are golden. Wheat farmers stand to lose a bushel. Home builders, theme parks and mothers of young children are looking for safe harbor. Mold remediation companies and movie theaters should be awash in customers.

“Rain, at least temporarily, dampens economic activity, pun intended,” said Jeff Humphreys, director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. “But those dollars don’t disappear.”

Residents of metro Atlanta have developed weather whiplash in recent years. First they watched Lake Lanier shrivel up like a plum — except when Sweetwater Creek was flooding houses to their second storeys, in 2009. Then came the deluge.

This year, according to the National Weather Service, Atlanta has recorded over 41 inches of rain. That’s more than the area saw in all of last year. And even the wettest year on record, 1948, had recorded only 42 inches at this point in the year.

So far, this year’s rain has been disruptive, but to most, not devastating. But the ground and creeks are full of water now, meaning flooding could be just a few downpours away. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is discharging large amounts of water from its dams, trying to juggle high lake levels without flooding rivers downstream.

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist David Chandley predicts a 70 percent chance of rain today, with a smaller chance of more over the weekend. Longer term, the weather service has concerns about the coming hurricane season.

“That is the question on everybody’s mind,” said Ryan Willis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The numbers, the predictions from the hurricane center are such that they do expect a more active hurricane season,” Willis said. “The question being: where?”

In the meantime, people are coping.

Brennan Washington, an organic farmer in Lawrenceville, lost his first okra crop and had to replant. But he’s looking forward to elephant-high corn and leafy spinach. Plus, since he plants on raised beds, which drain better, overall he’ll come out ahead, he thinks.

Susie Parker, a Brookhaven mother of two young athletes, Lincoln, 10, and Lauren, 7, has about had it, especially with the unpredictability of this season.

“You’ve got kids climbing the walls,” Parker said. “Last night literally it was 8:30 and my son was still riled up and he asked to run on my treadmill.” His baseball fields keep getting washed out. Lauren’s learned to play tennis in the rain, when she can.

Parker remembers the days of collecting runoff from the shower to water her plants, and she’s glad the region’s got enough water now. But she wishes she didn’t have to take the family to Despicable Me in the season that should be devoted to outdoor play.

“It’s good from a drought perspective, but I like them to be swimming in the pool, out on the ball field or on the tennis court,” Parker said.

Six Flags officials won’t talk about attendance. But let’s just say they’d like the rain to stop.

“We dislike it,” said spokeswoman Emily Murray. “Obviously, like everybody else, we hope it holds off for a little while at least so we can enjoy the rest of the summer.”

Humphreys and other economists said that money not spent on such activities will probably get spent elsewhere, or pent-up demand will get it spent later when the sun comes out. So the regional economy shouldn’t be a net loser.

But Spencer Banzhaf, a professor of economics at Georgia State University, wrote in an e-mail that that the rain’s impact isn’t totally a wash. “Households are certainly losers,” he wrote. “They’d have more fun spending that money at Six Flags than on mold removal. In the end, households spend the money but get less of what they actually want for it. Any economist will tell you that, in the big picture, that’s bad for the economy.”

One silver lining: Sales of umbrellas and weather gear at the park are up 25 percent from last year.

For farmers — who represent the state’s biggest industry — all the moisture has been good for some crops, bad for others. Some seeds sprouted only to rot in the wet ground. Others plants fell victim to runaway weed growth or diseases fostered by damp.

About three weeks ago, issues with wheat started showing up, said Don McGough, director of commodities and marketing for the Georgia Farm Bureau. But hay and peaches are doing great. Overall, the rain has been very good for growing, he said.

“We certainly hate to complain about the rain — as I said, we’ve been through a lot of dry periods. So we’re very thankful, we’re fortunate to receive the rainfall,” he said. “Overall I think it’s going to be beneficial.”

Farmers of peanuts, one of the state’s two biggest crops, are loving the rain and would love even more in spite of the increased likelihood of disease, said John Beasley, peanut agronomist at the University of Georgia.

“Two inches per week, all four weeks in the month of August: That would be perfect,” Beasley said.

Stop right there, say home builders — who also account for a big chunk of the metro Atlanta economy. The last thing they need is too much rain, just as their battered industry is showing signs of renewed life.

The rain over last week’s holiday weekend completely threw off Mike Turner’s plans to renovate a kitchen. The job was inside, but the materials had to be stored outside. Even when the sun came out, they took time to dry.

Since a big part of the trick in home building is in sequencing of jobs, a long period of unpredictable weather can wreak havoc, said Turner, president of Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association.

But rain keeps homeowners, and the people who deal with their problems, busy.

“We see especially ants and mosquitoes multiply exponentially during heavy rainfall,” said Brian Lunsford, co-owner of the Conyers-based inspection and testing company Inspect-All Services. Some of the pests are feeding off the extra moisture, and some, like ants, may be taking a cue from the humans and escaping from it by invading human habitats, Lunsford said: “They’re making shelter.”

Fortunately for beleaguered home owners, common-sense prevention goes a long way, Lunsford said. He suggests flushing out standing water and maintaining good drainage outside and ventilation and clean surfaces inside. And if they have to call a pro, well, they won’t be alone.

“Historically we’re always busy during spring and summer,” Lunsford said. “But it has been crazy busy with all these rains.”