A north Georgia mountain town went to bed Wednesday under a forecast that called the flood threat low. By 3 a.m. Thursday, police were telling neighborhoods to get out now. The McCaysville flash flooding is the story of the morning, and families are still waiting on rescue.
Thunderstorms dumped between 3 and 6 inches of rain on the Georgia mountains overnight, according to NBC News and the National Weather Service. CNN also reports up to 6 inches fell in six hours at multiple gauges. The worst of it hit McCaysville and nearby Fannin County. McCaysville is a town of about 1,000 people across the Toccoa River from Copperhill, Tennessee.
McCaysville flash flooding: what happened overnight
McCaysville police asked some neighborhoods to evacuate immediately just before 3 a.m. The city then declared a state of emergency just after 5 a.m., according to Fox Weather. Police ordered residents on West Tennessee Avenue and East Tennessee Avenue out.
Police Chief Michael Earley said emergency crews have made more than 30 water rescues by boat. Water downtown ran 6 to 7 feet deep in some areas, he told reporters, and it covered the roofs of some homes. Meanwhile, rescue boats struggled in the rushing current. “I’ve never seen flooding like this in my life,” Earley said, per Gray News.
Treat that rescue number as a running total. Early reports put it near 10, then at least 20, and now more than 30. These Georgia flood rescues are still unfolding.
Why this north Georgia flooding caught people off guard
Here’s the thing: the forecast did not see it coming, and that matters to anyone who plans their night around it. A Wednesday-morning WSB-TV forecast rated the flood threat as low. It expected only 1 to 2 inches in the strongest storms. Totals ran several times higher.
By Wednesday night, the National Weather Service had issued a Flash Flood Emergency for southern Fannin and northern Gilmer counties. That is a “particularly dangerous situation,” the agency’s top-tier flood alert, according to Local 3 News. The agency extended a second emergency covering McCaysville until 11 a.m. Thursday.
Who gets caught in a flood like this? People asleep in a mountain valley, where small creeks, low-water crossings and underpasses fill fast. Mudslides were also reported in Fannin and Gilmer counties.
Georgia has weather on its mind for other reasons too. Voters just handed the state a political shake-up, as Keisha Lance Bottoms’ governor’s race win shows.
What McCaysville flood victims and residents need to know now
The rain has ended across northern Georgia and southern Tennessee, but rivers and creeks are still high. Fannin County emergency management said swift-water teams evacuated residents. Even so, many remained stranded Thursday morning, including in areas crews could not reach.
- Shelter: An emergency shelter opened at the Fannin County Recreation Center on Tom Boyd Road in Blue Ridge.
- Water: McCaysville is under a boil water advisory until further notice, per CBS News Atlanta.
- Schools: Fannin and Gilmer county schools are closed Thursday.
- Roads: Closures are in place around McCaysville, including a bridge closure.
- Air support: A Georgia State Patrol helicopter was on standby for aerial rescues after daylight.
Flooding also set off danger beyond the water. Fox Weather reports a propane tank caught fire and later exploded outside a McCaysville business. WSB-TV, meanwhile, reported multiple electrical fires in Fannin County.
The Fannin County flash flood response and what comes next
Gov. Brian Kemp said the state emergency agency is leading a multi-agency response. The Department of Public Safety and Department of Natural Resources are using boats and aircraft, and Tennessee responders are helping. “This is an ongoing flash flood emergency, and if you are in the impacted area, seek higher ground and listen to your local emergency officials,” he said, according to WSB Radio.
Plenty is still unknown. Officials have not said how many people they evacuated, how many homes the water damaged, or what the damage will cost. Reports so far do not specify any injuries, and officials have not said whether anyone was hurt. Damage assessments are under way.
Three questions are next. Will Kemp issue a state emergency declaration beyond McCaysville’s local one? Will a federal disaster request follow? And when do schools reopen?
Storms are not the only emergency making headlines. Floods also hit Florida on Election Day, as Space Coast flooding made news.
Six inches of rain in six hours can overwhelm even a “low” forecast. If you have family in Fannin or Gilmer counties, call instead of waiting for a text, and keep them off flooded roads.
