This holiday weekend, communities all over South and Middle Georgia are marking the 20th anniversary of the worst natural disaster in the state’s history.

In Macon, Tropical Storm Alberto hit on July 5th 1994 causing the Ocmulgee River to overflow. Macon’s water plant was completely submerged by the flood. But out of that storm came a new facility on higher ground.

Gary McCoy is director of water treatment at the Macon Water Authority. He says even if the area were to see a hurricane of major proportions today, the residents of Bibb County would still have water to use.

"We took measurements of where we had the flood of 94 and it didn’t even come to half of the elevation that we have now."

After Alberto thousands of people were without water for over 2 weeks.

31 people across the state died.

Tags: Macon Water Authority, Leah Fleming, Tropical Storm Alberto