Cleanup underway after catastrophic flash flood devastates McCaysville

The cleanup is underway in a north Georgia city decimated by historic flash floods.

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We saw trucks and heavy equipment removing debris from the Toccoa River and businesses in downtown McCaysville. We also saw store workers seeing the destruction for the first time in person.

“We lost everything,” Blue Ridge Adventure Wear store manager Kenly Alexander told Channel 2’s Tom Jones.

Alexander and her crew spent Friday morning cleaning up their store after the devastating floods destroyed everything inside. Alexander watched the water flood the business via the store’s surveillance camera in real time.

She says she began watching the surveillance video and saw water inside the business around 11 p.m. Wednesday. She says it wasn’t that bad.

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Then Alexander says she noticed the water reached up to top of shelves around 3:30 Thursday morning. She says the store lost power, and that cut off the video.

“So, the last thing I saw was the water up to like here,” she said, pointing to the top of a shelf.

Then Alexander arrived Friday morning to find all everything destroyed in the store. The water moved a huge piece of furniture that is hundreds of pounds: “So, the fact that it’s on its side is pretty insane.”

The National Weather Service estimates the Toccoa River crested at 18 feet, sending water into businesses and homes, and leading to hundreds of evacuations.

One person died in Murray County after the storms swept their car away.

Jones went to April Brackett’s home where workers were pumping out an excessive amount of water that the floods left under her home. “The Lord just watched over us that it didn’t get in the house,” she said.

Jones saw heavy equipment and crews removing debris from the river and from nearby businesses.

The sheriff was helping out.

“Well, somebody’s got to do it,” Fannin County Sheriff Dane Kirby said.

Alexander says everyone is committed to cleaning all this mess up and getting back to work.

“You don’t really have a choice not to,” she said.

Jones says he has heard from people who want to volunteer or donate to the storm victims. Police are asking you to come to the Incident Command Center behind City Hall at 223 Blue Ridge Drive. That’s where you can sign in to volunteer or drop off your donation.

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