Floodwaters reach rooftops as record river levels hit Georgia-Tennessee border
The Toccoa River reached 18 feet Thursday morning, flooding downtown McCaysville and Copperhill as emergency crews rescued stranded residents.
McCAYSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Thunderstorms caused record flooding overnight in twin towns straddling the Georgia-Tennessee border, submerging some buildings to their rooflines on Thursday as emergency responders rescued dozens of people.
The storms dropped heavy rain across a mountainous area causing flooding on the Toccoa River between McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, causing life-threatening flooding on both sides. The Toccoa then flows into the Ocoee River, where the Tennessee Valley Authority was managing water levels due to the high flows at three of its hydroelectric dams.
As much as 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters) fell overnight between the north Georgia towns of Blue Ridge and Ellijay, and runoff from uncontrolled streams swelled the rivers below, according to the TVA.
The Toccoa River reached a record high Thursday morning of 18 feet (5.5 meters), according to a river gauge in Copperhill, where fewer than 500 people live across the waterway from McCaysville, home to about 1,000. Copperhill emergency officials urged people to take shelter in either town’s City Hall.
The river was 2 feet (0.6 meters) above the level forecasters consider “catastrophic,” causing flooding that tops bridges and cuts off access to the community.
“It’s over the rooftops in several different areas. Right here in our downtown business district it’s about 6-7 feet high,” McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley told Fox5 Atlanta. “I have one of my police cars that’s floating down the river right now. Don’t know where it’s at, but it’s somewhere down there.”
Photos shared with local media showed some buildings submerged up to their rooflines. Local news video footage showed rescue crews in red boats and motorized rafts navigating through deep, rushing water flowing through downtown streets. Earley said more than 30 rescues were conducted overnight.
Robert Poole, spokesperson for the Fannin County Emergency Management Agency on the Georgia side, estimated that about 20 people had been rescued, with no reported injuries or deaths. The water had begun receding by late Thursday morning, he said.
“The calls have slowed down as far as people stranded that need rescues, so we’re probably going to end up utilizing a helicopter and possibly some drones just to do an aerial survey and see if there’s anybody out there that needs our help,” he said.
“Please do not let the rain stopping give you a false sense of security,” the agency said on social media. “Floodwaters remain extremely dangerous, and conditions can continue to worsen even after the rain has stopped.”
The flooding also shut down the McCaysville water treatment plant, causing city leaders to issue a boil water advisory.
McCaysville’s downtown previously experienced significant flooding in August that caused damage to the police department, post office and several other businesses and residences. Earley said in a statement at the time that the river wasn’t to blame, but rather “major drainage issues” associated with construction on a nearby state highway.
