Residents remain stranded in parts of Fannin County that emergency crews cannot reach as life-threatening flooding keeps the city of McCaysville under a state of emergency Thursday morning.
Officials said numerous residents still need to be evacuated and warned that the danger could continue even after the rain stops. A Georgia State Patrol helicopter was on standby to assist with aerial rescues after daylight, if needed.
The National Weather Service had extended the flash flood warning for north-central Fannin County until 11 a.m., describing conditions in McCaysville as a flash flood emergency.
"This is a particularly dangerous situation. Seek higher ground now!" the weather service said in a 6:30 alert.
Between 6 and 10 inches of rain had fallen, according to the weather service. Although no additional rainfall was expected in the warned area, flooding impacts were expected to continue.
McCaysville officials declared a state of emergency and closed all city entrances, restricting entry to authorized public safety and emergency response personnel until further notice.
Closed access points include River Road, Mobile Road, Blue Ridge Drive and Highway 68 entering from Tennessee. Officials urged people not to bypass barricades or interfere with emergency operations.
The closure followed a 4:30 a.m. order directing everyone living on West Tennessee Avenue and East Tennessee Avenue to evacuate immediately.
Residents whose evacuation routes are blocked by floodwaters should move to higher ground and call 911, officials said. People should not attempt to walk or drive through floodwaters.
McCaysville Police Chief Michael Otis Earley said that officers and other law enforcement officials are going house to house checking to make sure that no one was left behind. He said that drones and helicopters are patrolling the area to search for anyone who may be on their home's roof.
"Our cellphone comms is down. The power is down. Our water plant is down that feeds almost 4,000 customers throughout this county," he said. "We've got a lot of issues right now."
The police chief said around 46 people have been rescued from the flooded conditions as of 11 a.m., the majority of which were water rescues.
He described the rescues overnight as difficult, saying the rain was so hard that crews could barely see.
One firefighter was injured after a propane tank exploded, but she is expected to be OK, Earley said. A few people were taken to local hospitals due to hypothermia-like conditions, he said.
Currently, Earley said that the flooding has blocked the garage that houses the city's dump trucks, tractors, and other vehicles that would be used to clean up some of the damage. He said he is hoping that the floodwaters will leave by the evening, which will allow crews to go in and get to work.
He said the city has suffered multiple floods recently, and that they had just reopened some of its businesses and government buildings last week.
"I don't know what God's trying to tell me, but we've had two in about three months," he said.
Earley is asking the community to stay out of McCaysville until they deem it safe.
Multiple agencies, including the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, and the Georgia Department of Public Safety, are helping local emergency crews reach stranded residents and conduct evacuations. Officials said flooding and dangerous conditions have prevented crews from accessing some areas.
"Please do not let the rain stopping give you a false sense of security," officials said in an update. "Floodwaters remain extremely dangerous, and conditions can continue to worsen even after the rain has stopped."
In an earlier county emergency update, officials said multiple homes had flooded, with some completely surrounded by water. Swift-water rescue teams were rescuing and evacuating residents.
Emergency personnel also responded to multiple structure fires believed to have been caused by lightning strikes, according to that update.
McCaysville Public Safety Director and Police Chief Michael O. Earley said rising water had affected several downtown businesses and displaced families across Fannin County. Police also closed Blue Ridge Drive at the bridge and the Steel Bridge because of flooding.
Officials urged people in safe locations to stay put and avoid unnecessary travel, saying traffic puts additional people at risk and makes it harder for emergency crews to reach those needing help.
An emergency shelter remains open at the Fannin County Recreation Center, 370 Tom Boyd Road in Blue Ridge. Displaced residents may go there if they can travel safely, officials said.
The county has activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the response and additional resources.
The Toccoa River, known as the Ocoee River in Tennessee, reached an observed level of 18.05 feet Thursday morning at Copperhill, according to a National Weather Service river gauge chart. That exceeds the chart's listed record of 17.8 feet and the major flood threshold of 14 feet.
The river's flood-impact guidance describes catastrophic flooding at 16 feet, with numerous homes, businesses and roads flooded and both bridges connecting Copperhill and McCaysville overtopped.
A forecast issued at 7:03 a.m. projected the river would fall through Thursday and below flood stage Friday morning.
The readings measure the river's height at the gauge, not the depth of floodwater throughout downtown
The Fannin County School System canceled school Thursday because of widespread storm damage. There will be no in-person or virtual classes.
Directors, administrators and 12-month employees should report at their regular times if they can do so safely, the district said.
Gilmer County Schools also announced it would be closed Thursday because of flooding and dangerous road conditions, based on updated information from the county's emergency management agency.
The McCaysville Water System is under a boil water advisory until further notice, according to an update issued at 8:52 a.m. Thursday.
Gov. Brian Kemp said the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency is leading a multi-agency response to flooding in northwest Georgia.
The response includes the Georgia departments of Public Safety and Natural Resources, aircraft and boats, local agencies and Tennessee first responders, Kemp said.
"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.
