Dozens rescued by boat as Georgia town faces 6-foot floodwaters
Five inches of rain turned McCaysville into a hazardous zone, prompting a multi-agency response and a boil water advisory.
By Tunde Bailey ·
More than 50 people had been pulled from the water by mid-morning Thursday, according to local reports, after severe storms drenched the Georgia-Tennessee border region. The National Weather Service warned that McCaysville, Georgia, received up to five inches of rain by Thursday morning. This deluge triggered life-threatening flash flooding in the town, which sits across the Toccoa River from Copperhill, Tennessee.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp stated that the state's emergency management agency was coordinating a multi-agency response. He said the operation was using aviation and boat assets alongside local counties and Tennessee first responders. The weather service maintained a flash flood warning until mid-morning Thursday. It urged residents to seek higher ground immediately and advised drivers to turn around when encountering flooded roads.
Michael Earley, the McCaysville police chief, told local station WSMV that water levels in some areas reached six to seven feet. He described the flooding as the worst he had ever seen. Earley said the department was asking for any available volunteers to assist with the rescue efforts.
Robert Poole, a spokesperson for Fannin County emergency management, detailed a specific incident involving a man trapped in his car. Poole explained that the man had called in to say he was swept away down a creek. Communications with him were lost, but searchers located his address and were working to reach the vehicle safely. Poole noted that the county's resources were already strained by several structure fires caused by lightning before the rain intensified.
State and local officials warned that floodwaters remained extremely dangerous even after the rain stopped. They cautioned that conditions could continue to worsen. The agency also issued a boil water advisory for McCaysville. Game wardens from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources joined search-and-rescue teams in Fannin and Murray counties.
Schools in Fannin and Gilmer counties closed for students on Thursday due to hazardous road conditions. In neighboring Copperhill, Tennessee, city officials issued evacuation warnings for some residents at 3 a.m. ET on Thursday.
The National Weather Service warned that low water crossings, small creeks, urban areas, highways, streets, and underpasses were at risk. It emphasized that most flood deaths occur in vehicles.
