COPPERHILL, Tenn. — Catastrophic overnight flooding on the Ocoee River overwhelmed Copperhill and McCaysville, Ga., on Thursday, drawing boat crews from the Chattanooga region into downtown streets.
Gauge readings put the crest near 18.5 feet Thursday morning, a new mark for the Copperhill site. Other crews logged 18.05 feet, higher than anything recorded there in more than eight decades.
Chief Earley said rescue teams completed nearly 40 boat pulls. In one case, floodwater pinned a Navy veteran inside a second-story Copperhill unit until crews forced the door and ferried her across the street.
Shopkeepers described inventory tossed across floors and equipment shoved into aisles as water poured through both downtowns. Runoff racing off Harper Town Hill added to the river water filling McCaysville streets.
People living on Main Street compared the depth to the 1990 flood. Polk and Fannin county schools canceled or delayed Friday classes while roads through the twin towns stayed closed for drainage.
Managers warned that a falling stage did not mean the threat was over. The Tennessee Valley Authority stopped releases at Blue Ridge Dam and kept adjusting two dams farther downstream as recovery crews surveyed ruined storefronts.
Mutual-aid units from across the Tennessee Valley answered overnight calls, including a Grassy Creek corridor where deep water surrounded homes.
Local leaders said debris hauling and utility checks would run through the weekend while water continues to drain from residential blocks and business districts.
Filed under: Chattanooga TN Weather News