Thunderstorms caused record flooding overnight in twin towns straddling the Georgia-Tennessee border, submerging some buildings to their rooflines on Thursday as emergency responders rescued dozens of people.
asserted
responders → cause → people
The storms dropped heavy rain across a mountainous area that drains into the Toccoa River between McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, causing life-threatening flooding on both sides.
asserted
that → drop → sides
The Toccoa then flows into the Ocoee River, where the Tennessee Valley Authority was managing water levels at three of its hydroelectric dams.
asserted
Authority → flow → dams
As much as 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters) fell overnight between the north Georgia towns of Blue Ridge and Ellijay, and runoff from uncontrolled streams swelled the rivers below, according to the TVA.
uncertain
runoff → fall → TVA
The Toccoa River reached a record high Thursday morning of 18 feet (5.5 meters), according to a river gauge in Copperhill, where fewer than 500 people live across from McCaysville, home to about 1,000.
uncertain
people → reach → 1,000
Copperhill officials urged people to take shelter in either town's City Hall as the river reached 2 feet (0.6 meters) above the level forecasters consider “catastrophic."
asserted
forecasters → urge → level
“It’s over the rooftops in several different areas.
asserted
It → ’ → areas
Right here in our downtown business district it’s about 6-7 feet high,” McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley told Fox5 Atlanta.
asserted
Earley → ’ → Fox5
“I have one of my police cars that’s floating down the river right now.
asserted
that → have → river
Don’t know where it’s at, but it’s somewhere down there.”
asserted
it → know → where
Photos and video showed some buildings submerged up to their rooflines as rescue crews in red boats and motorized rafts navigated through deep, rushing water flowing over downtown streets.
asserted
crews → show → streets
Earley told reporters about 40 people were rescued overnight plus five or six more Thursday morning.
asserted
people → tell → reporters
One firefighter suffered a minor injury and a few residents were treated for suspected hypothermia and shock, “but
asserted
residents → suffer → hypothermia
from what we could tell, everybody looked to be OK.”
The water began receding by late Thursday morning, said Robert Poole, spokesperson for the Fannin County Emergency Management Agency on the Georgia side.
uncertain
Poole → tell → side
But the agency warned people against a false sense of security.
asserted
agency → warn → security
“Floodwaters remain extremely dangerous, and conditions can continue to worsen even after the rain has stopped,” it said on social media.
asserted
it → remain → media
Rescue operations were ongoing, with emergency personnel going house to house and searching overhead with a helicopter and drones, but the effort was complicated by cellphone and power outages, Earley said.
asserted
Earley → go → outages
The flooding also shut down the McCaysville water treatment plant, prompting a boil water advisory, and it put the city's dump trucks and heavy equipment out of reach.
asserted
it → shut → reach
Both treat tourists to river and mountain views before stopping to sample the restaurants and shops.
asserted
Both → treat → restaurants
This disaster hits particularly hard because McCaysville's downtown was inundated by another flood in August, damaging the police station and post office along with other businesses and residences.
asserted
downtown → hit → businesses
The renovated police building reopened just last week.
asserted
building → renovate → ?
“Now here we go again,” the chief said.
asserted
chief → go → ?
"A lot of people came together, and we’ve been cleaning the town for the past few months.
asserted
we → come → months
We’re getting ready for Christmas, a lot of McCaysville events, our Christmas parade.
asserted
We → get → events
So it’s devastating.
asserted
it → ’ → ?
It's crazy to be hit with two such damaging floods in just three months, the chief said.
asserted
chief → hit → months
“I don’t know what God is trying to tell me.”
asserted
God → know → me
The Aporia
