Mccaysville declared a state of emergency Thursday and shut the city to unauthorized personnel after heavy overnight rain sent floodwaters through parts of North Georgia and forced rescue crews into action before dawn. All access points into the city were closed as emergency teams worked to reach people trapped in homes and vehicles.
By 6 a.m. Thursday, at least 30 people had been rescued from their homes in Mccaysville, where officials said water had climbed above the rooftops of some houses and reached near 16 feet in places. Michael Otis Earley said crews began getting calls overnight from people who could not get out and had to call in swift-water rescue teams to evacuate residents and motorists.
The flooding hit the city in Fannin County hard enough that emergency officials ordered residents along the river to move immediately to higher ground. River Road, Mobile Road, Blue Ridge Drive and Highway 68 from Tennessee were closed, and only public safety and emergency response personnel were allowed in while crews tried to keep pace with the rising water.
That work was not simple. Mudslides complicated the response, a bridge washed out on Bushy Head Road near Boardtown Road in Fannin County, and flooding on Lucius Road left the road impassable and trapped residents in their homes. Flooding was also reported in downtown Blue Ridge, while a flash flood emergency across the Tennessee state line affected areas near Mccaysville and Ducktown.
The question now is how long the city can remain sealed off while crews finish the rescues and check the hardest-hit roads. For the moment, the answer is immediate: Mccaysville is open only to the people trying to save it.
