MCCAYSVILLE, GA — Floodwaters were starting to drop in McCaysville by Thursday noon, but the damage left behind was widespread. Overnight flooding submerged homes, businesses and vehicles in the downtown area, forcing emergency crews into repeated rescues and leaving debris scattered across roads and bridges.

Officials said the Toccoa River had risen to a record crest earlier in the morning before beginning to recede. Even as the water fell, first responders were still checking homes, searching for stranded residents and clearing a city that had been overwhelmed in a matter of hours.

Residents described waking to find water inside neighborhoods that normally stay dry. With roads washed out, power down and communications disrupted, McCaysville faced both an immediate rescue mission and a long cleanup.

Dozens of people were rescued as crews searched flooded neighborhoods

Fannin County emergency officials said 57 people were rescued overnight as catastrophic flooding swept through McCaysville and surrounding communities. Robert Poole, a spokesperson for Fannin County Emergency Management, said 13 swift-water rescue teams using nine boats carried out the work.

By late morning, police Chief Michael Earley said roughly 46 people had been rescued, while crews continued door-to-door checks for anyone who may still be trapped or missing. Teams were also using drones and a Black Hawk helicopter from Camp Frank D. Merrill to look into places emergency vehicles could not reach.

Officials said no additional trapped residents had been confirmed, but several areas remained inaccessible because of flood damage. Earley said some roads had begun reopening for emergency vehicles as the water receded.

Propane fires, exploding tanks and washed-out roads complicated the response

Emergency crews also had to deal with fire and fuel hazards during the flooding. Officials said they responded to six structure fires, including three that broke out within 10 minutes of each other. One propane tank was burning in downtown McCaysville before exploding, after which firefighters moved in to put water on the fire.

Debris, including propane tanks and vehicles, floated through flooded streets and collected around bridges along the Toccoa River. Across the state line in Copperhill, Tennessee, a resident recorded a large propane tank drifting down the swollen Ocoee River.

Road damage added to the danger. Officials reported complete washouts in some areas, including Lucius Road near Highway 76 in Cherry Log and Moorestown Road near Sugar Creek. Some residents had to be rescued from homes that were cut off by rising water and mud.

Water and power systems failed as the city lost key services

McCaysville’s water treatment plant was shut down completely, leaving the city unable to produce water for a system that serves nearly 4,000 customers. That includes a hospital and a school, both of which were affected by the outage.

A boil-water notice was issued, and officials said they did not know when service would be restored. Power and cellphone communications were also down, making recovery harder and leaving officials with limited options for reaching residents.

Police Chief Michael Earley said the public works garage, where the city keeps dump trucks, tractors and other cleanup equipment, was also inaccessible. He said that will complicate the effort to remove debris and restore services after the floodwaters fall further.

Residents were moved to shelters as officials urged everyone to stay away

Evacuated residents were sent to the recreation center in Blue Ridge, where a shelter was opened for people forced from their homes. A school bus was also used to move rescued residents to safety as crews continued working through flooded streets.

Fannin County emergency officials urged people not to enter McCaysville or the surrounding area unless they were part of the response effort. Robert Poole said nearby counties and states were providing critical help, and he told anyone needing rescue to call 911 instead of trying to cross floodwaters.

McCaysville remains closed to unauthorized visitors until officials determine it is safe. State and local agencies, including the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and Georgia State Patrol, are helping with the response.

The flood came after historic rainfall and follows earlier damage this summer

The flooding followed heavy overnight rainfall that sent rivers and creeks surging across North Georgia. Officials said some areas had received more than 5 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, with certain locations recording more than 6 inches.

The Toccoa River had reached 18.05 feet by about 7 a.m., topping the previous McCaysville record of 17.75 feet set on Feb. 16, 1990. Earlier in the morning, floodwater had reached rooftops in some places and covered much of the downtown business district.

The community is now facing another major cleanup only three months after a previous flood caused serious damage. Earley said the latest flooding was more destructive than the August event, with homes, businesses and government buildings taking heavy losses.