Thursday, December 31, 2015

Flooding Swamps the Southeast: State of Emergency Declared in Georgia

Sean Breslin
Published: December 31,2015

Heavy, persistent rainfall caused more problems in the Southeast on Wednesday, where some residents were evacuated as floodwaters threatened their homes.
Flooding was reported Wednesday in Georgia and the Carolinas as yet another day of rainfall forced some saturated locales over the brink, resulting in flash flooding. Some North Carolina residents were trapped by rising floodwaters and had to be rescued by firefighters, according to the Associated Press.
In Georgia, a state of emergency was declared for several counties hit hardest by the flooding rains.
(MORE: Historic, Deadly Floods Hit the Plains, Midwest)
Here's a deeper look at the impacts reported in these floods.

North Carolina

Gastonia firefighters rescued at least seven residents from a neighborhood that was overtaken by floodwaters from a swollen creek nearby, the AP reported. An emergency shelter was opened to house these evacuees, the report added.
residents evacuated from Woodlawn Acres on Archie Whitesides Road in Gastonia, NC due to flooding this afternoon...
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In Chatham County, near Fearrington, home evacuations occurred Wednesday morning in the Jordan Lake area, according to National Weather Service storm reports.
Several roads were closed by flooding across southern North Carolina; the Charlotte Observer has a complete list of closures.
Water at this Stanly county intersection is 12 inches deep!!! At Hwy 52 & Salisbury Ave. Latest on flooding at 5!

Officials in Chapel Hill said firefighters were called to help with evacuations in an apartment complex, and several roads in the area were closed, according to the AP. The NWS also reported some roads were flooded in downtown Raleigh on Wednesday.

South Carolina

South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. released water from a Columbia-area dam to help relieve the rising water level early Thursday morning. Company spokesperson Ginny Jones told the AP the Lake Murray Dam release will send an additional 18,000 cubic feet per second of water into the lower Saluda River, but residents downstream, affected by historic flooding in October, should not worry about additional floods.
During the October floods, several spill gates from the same dam were opened for the first time since 1969.
Evacuations were ordered and roads were closed in parts of the Upstate on Wednesday, according to Fox Carolina. Blacksburg's Brugg Street Apartments were evacuated Wednesday morning, the report added.
In Greenwood County, the Wilson Creek Mobile Home Park was also evacuated on Wednesday, pushing six families from their homes, Fox Carolina also said. Numerous roads across the region were flooded on Wednesday, and officials asked motorists to avoid driving through submerged roadways.
How much worse will this get? Calhoun Falls, SC

Georgia

Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency Wednesday night for five more counties in north Georgia hit by flooding. A state of emergency had previously been declared for three other counties, and that order was extended to Jan. 7.
Rainfall continued on Wednesday in north Georgia, leading to flooded roadways in some areas. In Conyers, the NWS reported multiple roads were closed due to floodwaters.
A dam in Oconee County may still be in danger of failure, county authorities told WXIA-TV. The Oconee County Sheriff's Office said they worked overnight Tuesday to relieve pressure on the dam, but additional rainfall could still be problematic.
The sheriff's office said on their Facebook page Tuesday afternoon that if the dam breaks, it would cut off access to homes along Briar Lakes Court. Oconee County Fire Rescue and sheriff's deputies worked Tuesday to contact residents and get them evacuated from that area.
MORE: Historic Flooding in the Plains and Midwest

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