Water rescues, evacuations underway as ‘catastrophic flood event’ hits North Georgia and southern Tennessee
Homes are flooded and water rescues and evacuations are in progress as flash flood emergencies — the highest level of flood warning — impact North Georgia and southern Tennessee. Follow this storm live. Track changing conditions in real time. The flash flood emergencies are in effect for McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, on the Georgia-Tennessee border. Record flooding is ongoing there along a river known as the Ocoee River in Tennessee and the Toccoa River in Georgia once it flows across the border. The river crested just above the previous record flood set in 1990 just after 6:00 a.m. ET in McCaysville and Copperhill, above the level that causes a “catastrophic flood event” in the two towns, according to the National Weather Service. A state of emergency has been issued i…