Heavy rain caused life-threatening flash flooding Thursday in McCaysville, Georgia, and neighboring Copperhill, Tennessee, where officials closed bridges, opened shelters and issued evacuation warnings as water rose along the Toccoa/Ocoee River corridor.
McCaysville received up to five inches of rain by Thursday morning, according to The Guardian’s report on the flooding. More than 30 people had been rescued by boat by mid-morning, while Georgia and Tennessee responders used aviation, boats and local emergency resources. Fannin County officials also reported a rescue operation for a person trapped in a vehicle, though the person’s status was not established in the fetched report.
Copperhill’s official alerts show the immediate service and access impacts. The city said downtown was closed, both bridges were closed and shelters were open at Copperhill City Hall and McCaysville City Hall; residents were told to use the shelter on their own side of the river and not to drive or walk through floodwater. The city later warned that downtown customers may lose water service and asked all water customers to conserve water until further notice, according to Copperhill’s public alert page.
The National Weather Service warning cited by The Guardian urged people to seek higher ground and warned of life-threatening flooding affecting roads, crossings, streams and urban areas. Copperhill’s alerts likewise direct people in danger to call 911. The fetched reports confirm emergency closures, rescues and potential water-service disruption, but do not establish the full extent of property damage or whether the evacuation warnings remained active after the latest updates.