Flash floods hit Tennessee and Georgia after heavy rain

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 17:51 · Archive

Torrential rain triggered flash flood emergencies in Polk County, Tennessee, and Fannin County, Georgia, early Thursday.

Torrential rain triggered Flash Flood Emergencies across Polk County, Tennessee, and Fannin County, Georgia, early Thursday after storms along the southern end of a massive cross-country system. Police in McCaysville, Georgia, asked people to evacuate immediately just before 3 a.m. local time, and the city declared a state of emergency shortly after. County officials reported swiftwater rescues underway with water entering multiple homes, and about 40 people were rescued overnight with five or six more rescued Thursday morning. The flooding caused a propane tank to catch fire at a local business in McCaysville.

Between 5 and 10 inches of rain fell overnight across the mountainous region. The Toccoa River reached a record high of 18 feet Thursday morning in Copperhill, rising 2 feet above what forecasters consider 'catastrophic' level. The Ocoee River also surged into major flood stage. McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley told reporters that water in the downtown business district reached 6 to 7 feet high, with buildings submerged to their rooflines in several areas. He said one police car was floating down the river. The Tennessee Valley Authority was managing water levels at three hydroelectric dams on the Ocoee River.

The storms are part of a cross-country system moving into the East Coast through Thursday. More than an inch of rain is possible across much of the Interstate 95 corridor, with localized amounts approaching 2 to 3 inches from Virginia to southeast New England. Rain will continue through Friday, tapering off from south to north, ending a more than two-week stretch of dry weather across parts of the Northeast. Polk County schools closed Thursday, and Copperhill's downtown was closed to the public.

How it is being reported

• Heavy rains bring flash flooding to Georgia-Tennessee border areaNational Weather Service issues flood warning: ‘Seek higher ground now!’ Severe storms brought heavy rain and flash flooding to communities across the Georgia-Tennessee border area late on Wednesday and into Thursday morning that forced dozens of rescues, despite the hazardous conditions making evacuations and efforts to save people difficult. McCaysville, in north central Georgia, was deluged with up to five inches (13cm) of rain by Thursday morning, triggering life-threatening flash flooding, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. The town lies just across the Toccoa River from…Guardian World · 5 Nov, 17:44
• Heavy rains cause flash flooding, water rescues on Georgia-Tennessee borderThunderstorms have caused record flooding in two towns straddling the Georgia-Tennessee borderIndependent World · 5 Nov, 17:28
• Heavy rain triggers flash flood emergency in Southern states as cross-country storm shifts eastTorrential rain triggered Flash Flood Emergencies across Polk County, Tennessee, and Fannin County, Georgia, along the state line early Thursday.New York Post · 5 Nov, 16:00

In this story: Polk County · Tennessee · Fannin County · Georgia · McCaysville · Copperhill · Toccoa River · Ocoee River

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