Floodwaters wash out Tennessee and Georgia towns before storms head north
A 1,000-year rain event damaged infrastructure in McCaysville and Copperhill, killing one person, as the system moves along the Atlantic coast.
By Jessica Abebe ·
The National Weather Service labeled the rainfall over the Tennessee-Georgia border a 1,000-year event, a category that carries a 0.1 percent chance of occurring in any single year. The system moved north up the Eastern Seaboard on Friday, triggering flood advisories from North Carolina to Massachusetts.
In McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, crews cleaned the Toccoa River banks on Friday. The Atlanta weather office recorded 10.28 inches of rain in six hours and 11.19 inches over 12 hours into Thursday morning. The Toccoa feeds the Ocoee River, where the Tennessee Valley Authority managed high water at three hydroelectric dams.
Swift-water teams from both states rescued dozens of people before the water receded. Downtown streets in McCaysville are covered in mud, and the local water treatment plant is out of commission. At least one person died in the flooding. Sheriff Jimmy Davenport said Julie Barrs, 56, died on Friday while trying to drive her vehicle through floodwaters in a mountainous part of Murray County, Georgia.
This is the second major flood for these communities in three months. The National Weather Service categorized the early August event as a 1-in-500 year occurrence. McCaysville reopened its renovated police building the week before the latest storm. Police Chief Michael Otis Earley said the department lost virtually everything and that recovery will not be easy.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for four counties to unlock resources. Access to the McCaysville downtown area is limited to authorized personnel, business owners, and residents. A curfew runs from dusk to dawn. Earley noted that the disaster does not define the community, adding that McCaysville is down but not defeated.
The two towns, with populations of about 1,000 in McCaysville and fewer than 500 in Copperhill, host scenic railroad rides. The Copperhill General Store posted on social media that nearly all its wares are covered in mud. The store asked for patience as it works through the loss.
