McCaysville continues to clean up after catastrophic flooding

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A day after destructive flooding hit McCaysville in far north Georgia, residents are left to start picking up the pieces on Friday.

“Everybody that I know is down helping or is coming to help. Because this is ours,” resident Betty McCarty said.

McCarty is part of a large coalition of residents and volunteers who are clearing debris from downtown businesses.

McCarty says when she woke up, she grabbed her gardening gloves and got to work.

“You can’t wait for people from outside to come in when you’re small. You just gotta get up and go,” McCarty said.

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Debris is strewn across downtown McCaysville, which is right next to the Toccoa River. On Thursday, the river reached a record of more than 18 feet, flooding businesses and forcing residents onto their roofs. Overall, swiftwater teams rescued more than 80 people, according to officials.

GEMA Director Josh Lamb said 97 water rescues were conducted across the county. Most were done in the southern portion.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mandatory curfew in place after more than 80 rescued from flooding in Fannin County

Schools in Fannin County remain closed on Friday. A mandatory curfew is in place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties.

The McCaysville Water System is also out of service, and the area is under a boil water advisory. The city is distributing water at the building behind McCaysville City Hall from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday. Water will also be distributed at McCaysville First Baptist Church. Starting Saturday at 10 a.m., Publix will be giving free cleaning supplies and sandwiches at its donation center at 289 Blue Ridge Drive in McCaysville.

On Friday afternoon, city officials said most customers will lose water service as the remaining water supply gets depleted, and that service will remain disrupted while repairs to the water treatment plant are underway.

McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley says the road to recovery is long, and the city needs all of the help it can get.

“We’re doing everything we can to help our citizens and our community get back on their feet, but some of these people have no flood insurance,” Earley said. “This is their livelihoods. This is how they make a living. And we need them to come in and help us.”

Mayor Terry Arp tells Atlanta News First’s Mary Kate Hamilton that he is exploring avenues for assistance, such as grants.

“We need grant money. We can get matching funds money. A million dollars. We can’t match it. We have no way to do that, so it may as well not be there,” he said.

While the floodwaters have receded, the damage will likely take months to years to repair. Dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed. Cars were washed away. Restaurants and grocery stores were left nearly unrecognizable, and residents’ belongings were swept away.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Floodwaters damage downtown McCaysville businesses, including family-owned grocery store

The National Weather Service is calling the event a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall, followed by flooding.

The city was already recovering from a previous bout of flooding in August, which shut down the police and post office buildings. The newly renovated police department reopened, only to be flooded again.

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First as we learn more.