McCaysville river surge traps dozens of residents

Parts of North Georgia hit by historic flooding. The Toccoa River rose 16 feet in 12 hours, breaching its banks, inundating nearby communities with water, mud, and debris. And tonight, residents are in shock as they try to pick up the pieces. When you want to relax, you go sit by the river, but you don't expect this to happen to your business. And that catastrophic flooding in North Georgia is where we start tonight on the News at 10. I'm Russ Spence. I'm Courtney Bryant. Governor Kemp has declared a state of emergency in four North Georgia counties. Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties are trying to clean up and the governor is giving them some help with that. The extent of the damage is just starting to be released. More than 80 people have been rescued from their homes. Some woke up in the middle of the night to find their living rooms flooded. Others didn't know how bad it was until the morning when they could see. All the water, logs, and debris. Fox 5's Denise Dillon is live in McKaysville tonight. Denise, the cleanup process only just beginning for some of those folks. Yes, and that cleanup process may take quite a while. Tonight, it is quiet here on the streets of McKaysville. Some of these vehicles that you see are McKaysville police, some state patrol, others from neighboring sheriff's offices because there is a curfew in place right now. All of these law enforcement agencies are here to help out and keep the city safe. Just complete devastation. Some homes and businesses in McKaysville were wiped out by fast moving floodwaters. This McKaysville police car was washed away. It was later found along the river. Search and rescue teams came in from other areas more than 50 people had to be rescued and the sheriff's deputies knocked on the front door and said you need to evacuate now. By the time Mike Nickel got out the door, the water was up to his waist. They had to send a boat for us. A Blackhawk helicopter searched from the sky for anyone who was stranded. We had reports that some people was on the roofs of their house. As night fell, a curfew went into effect. Some was displaced from their homes, and of course all the businesses in the downtown business district was flooded, so we're trying to keep people from coming in, going and looting those homes. We're stealing. We don't want none of that to happen. McKaysville police, the state patrol, and law enforcement from other agencies are keeping a watchful eye on the city. Our main objective still is people's safety, obviously, but also to keep their businesses and their homes safe as well. Police Chief Michael Early has been checking on residents and businesses all over the city. He says it's sad. This community means a lot to me. We experienced a flash flood three months ago and we just got back on our feet and some of our buildings were starting to open back up and people's been actively cleaning up for the past three months and then we get hit again. Got a long road ahead of us. And this curfew started at 6 and will last until 6 a.m. The nightly curfew will remain in place until further notice. Also, the water treatment plant here is down, so they will be handing out fresh water at 9 in the morning near City Hall. Reporting live in McKaysville, Denise Dillon, Fox 5 News. Yeah, we're so sorry for the losses there, especially for some of the folks who we hear are uninsured. Denise, thanks so much. DRAMATIC NEW IMAGES INTO OUR NEWSROOM TONIGHT SHOWED JUST HOW POWERFUL THE STORM WAS. FLOODWATERS WASHED AWAY A HOME IN FIGHTINGTOWN, THAT'S NEAR MCKAYSVILLE. WATER WAS EVERYWHERE. RESIDENTS TELL US THE DAMAGE IS ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING. ACROSS THE STATE LINE NEAR COPPER HILL, TENNESSEE WAS HIT HARD TOO. THE TUCKAHOE RIVER BREACHED ITS BANKS THERE, FLOODING A PACKAGE STORE. AN ICE MACHINE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE INSIDE THAT STORE GOT WASHED AWAY AND WOUND UP ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER. Residents tell us they were shocked at how fast everything happened. It rained all day yesterday, and it was storming last night around 8, 7, 8 o'clock, back to back. And I was watching the weather, getting alerts, but it was warning Blue Ridge, not here. So I thought we were okay, so we went to bed at 1130. He got up at 2 o'clock to go to the bathroom and said our house was flooded. And I jumped up. And I come out into the living room and seen stuff floating. Then I looked out and seen the water over our deck. And I said, we got to get out now. A nearby water treatment plant was also flooded, leaving several communities under a boil water advisory. Tomorrow, McKaysville City officials will give out clean drinking water, as Denise mentioned, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anyone who needs it can stop by the building behind City Hall. And with such widespread flooding, many businesses in the area are devastated. Some people are still cleaning up, others wondering how they will even rebuild. Fox 5's Kevin Stewart continues our team coverage. Downtown McKaysville, Georgia. Now it's a tourism community. And it's Twin City, Copper Hill, Tennessee. It's just a really small, cute little town that people enjoy and love. Everywhere you look, along the swollen banks of the Toccoa River, mud, debris, Water oozing from the cracks in this building and the small businesses trying to clean up. I have no words. Wondering how they will survive. I had put a coffee shop back there. Or if they will survive. We didn't have insurance. We weren't able to apply for it. College student and young entrepreneur Diana Leal looks at what's left of her new coffee shop tucked in her mom's Mexican restaurant. She calls the river a blessing and a curse. Because when you want to relax, you go sit by the river, but You don't expect this to happen to your business. Thirty years in business for McKaysville Drug and Guns. The river flooded earlier this year and he made it out okay. Not so much this time. How are you going to get out and get through this now? Day at a time McKaysville Mayor Terry Arp says flooding here, sadly, is nothing new. It's flooded three times this year. Nothing like this, though. And then there was the flood of 1990. Communities bounce back with investment and emerge as a mountain tourist spot. Putting in all those places, there was nowhere to eat down here. Nowhere. And now we're kind of right back to where we were again. But we're going to come back. We are. Kevin Stewart, Fox 5 News. Residents told Kevin Stewart out there they've got a lot of cleanup to do and they expect to work late into the night. Law enforcement says that's okay, even though there is a curfew in place. A propane tank exploded behind a church in McKaysville this morning while Fox 5's Mark Teichner was live on the air talking about the flooding. Take a listen. You can see the flames there over his right shoulder. First responders say the propane tank caught fire around 9 o'clock this morning. They were planning to let the fire burn itself out, but when the explosion started, first responders stepped in. There were four explosions in all. With a lot of cleanup ahead, several schools and local government offices will be closed tomorrow. Fannin County officials say schools and the courthouse will both be closed. Blue Ridge City Hall will also be closed, but Gilmer County schools will be open. For more on today's devastating flooding head to fox5atlanta.com. We have articles like this one breaking down what happened, how communities there are doing tonight, and what comes next.