Rainy weekend for Northeast after storm system swamps East Coast
By Meteorologists Chris Dolce, and Mary Gilbert, and CNN’s Kate S. Petersen
(CNN) — The first significant rainfall in weeks is continuing to fall along parts of the Northeast coast on Saturday from the same storm that produced historic and catastrophic flooding on the Georgia and Tennessee border Wednesday into Thursday morning.
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At least one person is dead and more than 100 people had to be rescued in the flooding. The floodwater overwhelmed homes and businesses in McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, after downpours swelled their shared river to a new record high.
Some flooding occurred in places along the East Coast Friday, but nowhere near the extreme levels in Georgia and Tennessee.
Flooding spreads to East Coast
Heavy rain is wrapping up over coastal portions of the Northeast and scattered showers are expected to last through Saturday evening or possibly Sunday morning.
So far, southeast Virginia has seen the heaviest rain with 4 to 6 inches falling in Norfolk on Friday. The torrential rain flooded roadways in the city and left cars stranded, according to footage from CNN affiliate WTKR.
On Cape Cod in Massachusetts, Falmouth residents were urged to stay home because of “flooding all over town,” police said, noting officers were ordered to start shifts early “to assist with weather-related calls.”
In Brockton, about 20 miles south of Boston, several inches of floodwater covered roads and impacted businesses amid heavy rain Friday, CNN affiliate WHDH reported.
Rainfall has already totaled 1 to 3 inches in New England with another inch possible through Saturday afternoon. Most of the East Coast will dry out by Saturday afternoon, but some showers could develop deeper inland.
Catastrophic flooding swamps towns in Georgia, Tennessee
The rain came fast and furious on Wednesday night, and when it had stopped, a few spots in North Georgia had picked up 6 to 11 inches of it, causing massive flooding that killed one person.
Julie Barrs, 56, was found dead on Thursday after her vehicle was swamped by a flooded mountain creek in Murray County, county Sheriff Jimmy Davenport told CNN.
The vehicle was found with its front doors submerged and back hatch open in the creek, according to a report from the county’s sheriff’s office. Her body was later recovered downstream from the vehicle after an “extensive search by public safety officials and citizens,” Davenport said.
Flash flood emergencies — the highest level of flood warning — were issued Thursday morning for McCaysville, Georgia, in Fannin County, and Copperhill, Tennessee, in Polk County.
Record flooding struck there along a river known as the Toccoa River in Georgia and the Ocoee River in Tennessee across the border.
Emergency responders from both states worked together to reach stranded residents. As of Friday afternoon, at least 117 people had been rescued across Georgia and Tennessee, state officials said. No serious injuries have been reported in either state.
A separate flash flood emergency was also issued Wednesday night for other parts of Fannin County and neighboring Gilmer County in Georgia. Emergency management in Fannin and Gilmer counties in Georgia reported “multiple homes flooded and some completely surrounded by water” early Thursday morning.
Crews rescued 97 people in Fannin County, Georgia Emergency Management Director Josh Lamb said Friday.
McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley called flooding in his city “catastrophic.” Evacuations were ordered early Thursday for McCaysville residents along the river, officials said.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties Thursday afternoon. The Tennessee Emergency Management Authority activated its Operations Center to Level 4 for the Polk County flooding.
The Polk County sheriff and McCaysville police chief ordered mandatory curfews for flood-impacted areas from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Multiple roads are blocked by mudslides or have been washed away completely, and propane tanks were dislodged and floating in floodwater, Fannin County Fire Chief Larry Thomas told CNN. One tank in McCaysville caught fire and exploded. A responding firefighter suffered minor injuries, Earley said.
There were also at least four structure fires Wednesday night, which Thomas believes were caused by lightning. Two of the structures, one a home, were lost after floodwater prevented fire trucks from responding.
A few spots in North Georgia picked up 6 to 11 inches of rain. The high end of that range is a 1 in 1,000 year rainfall for 12 hours — a rate that has only a 0.1% chance of happening in a given year, under normal circumstances, according to the National Weather Service.
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CNN’s Sara Smart and CNN Meteorologists Brandon Miller, Briana Waxman, Dakota Smith, and Tyler Ory contributed to this report.
