A storm system that caused what the National Weather Service calls a 1,000-year catastrophic flood along the Tennessee-Georgia border Friday moved up the East Coast, prompting flood advisories in coastal areas from North Carolina to Massachusetts.
In McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, residents and crews spent Friday cleaning up along the Toccoa River. Precipitation over the surrounding mountain watershed measured 10.28 inches (26.1 cm) over a six-hour period and 11.19 inches (28.4 cm) over 12 hours Thursday morning, according to the Atlanta Weather Service.
Some cases of extreme weather are called 1,000-year events because they have a 0.1%, or 1 in 1,000, chance of occurring in a particular location in a given year. Although rare, “it is entirely possible to have multiple millennial events in the same year,” the weather service said.
The Toccoa flows into the Ocoee River, where the Tennessee Valley Authority was managing high water levels at three of its hydroelectric dams. Rapid response teams from both states rescued dozens of people before floodwaters receded, leaving downtown streets covered in mud and the water treatment plant out of service.
At least one death has been associated with the flooding. Julie Barrs, 56, died while apparently trying to drive her vehicle through floodwaters in a mountainous area of Murray County, Ga., Sheriff Jimmy Davenport said Friday.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency in four counties to make resources available.
It was the second disastrous flood in three months for the communities — the weather service classified the early August flood as a once-in-500-year event — and McCaysville had reopened its renovated police building last week. Police Chief Michael Otis Earley said his department “lost virtually everything” in the latest flood and getting back up “wouldn’t be easy.”
Access to downtown Friday was limited to authorized personnel, business owners and residents, and a curfew remains in effect from dusk to dawn, Earley said in a statement.
“This disaster does not define who we are as a community,” Earley said. “How we come together, how we care for our neighbors, how we lift each other up and how we move forward will define us. McCaysville may be down right now, but we are not defeated.”
With about 1,000 residents in McCaysville and fewer than 500 in Copperhill, the Twin Cities are a scenic destination for scenic rail rides – the Blue Ridge Railway on the Georgia side and the Copperhill Special in Tennessee. Both trains offer tourists views of the river and mountains before stopping so visitors can explore restaurants and shops.
Copperhill General Store posted on social media that almost all of its products were covered in mud.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this devastating loss,” the store’s statement said.
Another police station was hit by flooding on Friday, this one in New England. In Falmouth, Massachusetts, on the westernmost part of Cape Cod, Police Chief Jeffrey A. Lourie urged residents to stay home as heavy rain flooded the town’s roads as well as police headquarters.
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